


My Neighbor, The Sex God

by Cherrypie62666



Series: Random unfitting one shots and stories [8]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Accidental Peeping, Accidental Strip Show, Alternate Universe - Real World, Art Dealer, I think I'm funny, I'm probably not funny, Inner Struggle, Just art, M/M, Maybe a little too Supportive, Mostly humor, Nico is Shameless, Supportive Sisters, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, When Does Nico Not Have Inner Struggle, Why Did I Write This?, Will is even more Shameless, accidental nudity, art gallery, its not graphic at all, just funny, real world AU, slight angst, solangelo, supportive friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2018-10-12 00:37:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 49,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10478130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cherrypie62666/pseuds/Cherrypie62666
Summary: Piper pursed her lips, tapping a finger to her chin, all the while her hazel eyes twinkled at him with barely controlled amusement.  “So, you have a problem with your neighbor,” she said slowly, waiting for his confirmation.“Yes,” Nico hissed, shooting the girl a withering look, which did absolutely nothing other than possibly amusing her even more.“And your problem is… that he’s too hot,” she finished, tilting her head to the side and grinning wickedly.“My problem,” he grumbled, brow creasing at the overly pleased look on her face.  She was far too unsympathetic considering he was sleep deprived and cranky.  “Is that every night when I come home, he’s standing in front of the window, completely naked!  I don’t know what to do.  It’s like his ass is a magnet for my eyes, and it’s always there, without fail, waiting for me to come view it.”





	1. Why does he have to be naked?

**Author's Note:**

> I changed the summary to better fit the funny feeling, so if you noticed that, that's why I did it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I do, from time to time, I sat down to write, and started another fic.  
> Sigh.  
> It shouldn't be too long, and I hope it's entertaining.  
> Just something a little more humorous to cut through all the drama and fluff I tend to write.

The first time he noticed the apartment across from his was finally occupied, it was one o’clock in the morning and he’d just gotten home after a long and tiresome day, wanting nothing more than to fall onto his bed and go to sleep.  He hadn’t even bothered to flick on his light, just stumbled into the dark bedroom, pulled the fabric of his shirt over his head, and tossed it somewhere close to the hamper.  It probably only landed on the floor, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.  He’d resolve to put it away properly after a good night’s rest.

His pants came next, shimmying out of them until the fabric pooled awkwardly around his ankles, realizing a little too late that he hadn’t bothered to remove his boots, which meant he’d never slip the tight jeans around the things.  Heaving a sigh, he perched on the edge of the mattress, yanking the fabric back to work quickly and angrily at the double knotted laces.  Never before in his life did he question his fashion choices, but at the moment, he would kill to be the kind of guy to wear cargo shorts and flip-flops.

With the shoes successfully thrown somewhere near the door, he didn’t exactly attempt to aim and couldn’t be bothered to actually watch where they landed, he kicked the constricting material from each foot, grinning like an idiot once he was finally free of all clothing save his boxer briefs.  The cool air felt wonderful on his burning flesh, taking a moment to enjoy the feeling as his skin returned to a less stifling temperature, a little groan of pleasure leaving his lips.

Turning toward the queen-sized bed, he had meant to immediately dive beneath the satin sheets, honest he did; but a sudden stream of light flowing from the place he swore was vacant only a week ago caught his attention, and he peered through the curtain-less window, who needed privacy when the place was empty, catching a sight he would not soon forget.

Golden skin, a lean muscular form, and a really nice ass greeted him.  His mouth went slack, eyes staring hard at the chiseled body standing skyclad in the bedroom across from his own, face obscured by a towel as arms rubbed it back and forth over wet hair.  If you had asked him what color it was, at that moment, he couldn’t have told you.  Probably couldn’t form coherent sentences at all, and probably would have just opened and closed his mouth like a fish.

He told himself it was rude to stare, especially at someone’s naked form; without their permission, no less.  But at the same time, he had to wonder why someone would also stand right in front of their window, completely and utterly nude, if they really cared that badly that someone might see.

His frazzled brain reminded him they were three stories up, so the likelihood of someone happening by was quite slim.  The window across from his sat close enough that you could probably jump between the rooms if you were that desperate to do so, so it wasn’t as if anyone but him had access to the lovely view.  The guy hadn’t bothered to put his own curtains up, though neither had Nico, so it wasn’t all that odd, especially since he’d probably only recently moved in.  Plus, Nico was also standing in front of his window, only slightly less provocative in appearance, so it really, really wasn’t all that odd of a situation.

No, in the end he knew what he was doing wasn’t right, but he couldn’t look away, gaping at the figure as the towel lowered from his face to reveal some form of light eyes, pale golden locks, and a jawline so angular and sexy he was pretty sure the groaning sound coming from his mouth was real, not imaginary.

The person, who he was loath to admit was officially Mr. Chiseled Sex God in his own mind, Mr. C.S.G. for short, walked out of sight for a moment before returning with a loose pair of green flannel pajama bottoms.  Sliding them on, in full view of the window with his ass perfectly pivoted the other’s way, he climbed onto his own bed and the light went out.

Nico stood for a good five minutes, brain slowly working to catch up in his overly tired, officially short-circuited state.  When it finally dawned on him that his entire purpose for standing there had been to actually get under the blankets, not gawk rudely at a completely naked, not to mention obnoxiously sexy, guy he’d never met before; he threw himself against his own mattress, cocooning himself halfheartedly in the sheet before closing his eyes and falling asleep.

* * *

 

“I’m telling you, it’s an utter nightmare.  I don’t know what to do about it, though,” he admitted, leaning back against the counter, rubbing small circles into his temples in an attempt to ease some of the pressure steadily pounding behind his eyeballs.  It had been there all day, since his poor sleep the night before; not to mention the past entire week, following his new neighbor's naked escapades. Which, in the end, had entirely been his own fault, but of course he wasn’t going to admit that small detail aloud.

Piper pursed her lips, tapping a finger to her chin, all the while her hazel eyes twinkled at him with barely controlled amusement.  “So, you have a problem with your neighbor,” she said slowly, waiting for his confirmation.

“Yes,” Nico hissed, shooting the girl a withering look, which did absolutely nothing other than possibly amusing her even more.

“And your problem is… that he’s too hot,” she finished, tilting her head to the side and grinning wickedly.

“My problem,” he grumbled, brow creasing at the overly pleased look on her face.  She was far too unsympathetic considering he was sleep deprived and cranky.  “Is that every night when I come home, he’s standing in front of the window, completely naked!  I don’t know what to do.  It’s like his ass is a magnet for my eyes, and it’s always there, without fail, waiting for me to come view it.”

“You could try putting up curtains,” she snickered, hiding the action behind her hand.  “Or you could just enjoy the show and stop complaining about having a hot dude live across from you.  My only visible neighbor is seventy years old and on the hefty side.  Anytime I have to see him naked, which is far more often than you’d think considering, I want to stab my poor eyes out.  Be thankful, not all of us are so blessed.”

“You have an equally attractive boyfriend that lives with you,” he pointed out dryly.

“Details.”

Rolling his eyes, he heaved a sigh.  “I don’t have time to go and buy the curtains, let alone install the hardware to put them up.  You know we’re swamped, and I’m here practically twenty-four seven.  Perhaps if I had more competent employees and friends, I would actually have a little free time to go and do just that.”  He shot her a pointed look, but she waved it away dismissively with her hand.

“Look, I don’t see why you’re complaining.  You get free access to a great show.  And practically every night, to boot.”

“But I don’t  _want_  to-“ his voice was whiny and she cut him off with a terse look.

“Then look away, practice a little self-control, move out if you need to.  In the end, your problem really isn’t much of a problem, and the solutions are vast.  Hell, leave an anonymous note in his box, let him know you can see him and that it’s indecent.”

“But then he’ll know who sent it,” he huffed.

She rolled her eyes, patting him affectionately on the shoulder.  “My point being, the only person to blame in the end, is you.  I doubt it’ll stop on its own, you said he showers every single night at the exact same time?”

Frowning again, his lip pouted outward childishly.  “Like freaking clockwork, except the clock is set to whenever I get home.  I’m pretty sure he just likes to be completely naked.”

“Hot,” she quipped, then laughed when his look soured significantly.  “Okay, okay, it’s a serious problem.  I’m taking it seriously.”  She sighed as if to emphasize the point.  “If you don’t like it, something on your end needs to change.  That’s all there is to it, my friend.”

Grumbling, he averted his gaze to the ceiling.  “A lot of help you are,” he muttered, a little more bitterly than he’d meant it to sound.

“I know,” she chirped, completely unfazed by his moodiness.  After seven years of friendship, she was probably more than used to it.

“Can’t you just… go and buy the curtains and put them up for me?  Jason can help.  Make him take his shirt off, or something.  Watch it like it’s a sexual fantasy, I don’t care.  Help me.”

Patting him once more, she drew his gaze down to her face.  “And ruin the fun?  Sorry, buddy, but I don’t tamper with art.”  Her cheeky grin was more obnoxious than her terrible joke.

“You sell art all day,” he reminded her, pushing off the counter in the break room as he realized that no one was manning the front of the gallery if the two of them were both there.  “Speaking of which, get back to work.  You know we’re always busiest at this time of day.”

A smirk pulled her lips and she sashayed out of the room.  “Whatever you say, boss,” she drawled, shooting him a coy smile and a wink before disappearing around the corner.

Pouring himself another heaping cup of barely warm coffee, he sipped it with a frown, wondering how hard it would be to ignore something so utterly captivating.

It turned out it was much harder than he expected, having gone home that night with the intent to avoid at all costs.  He even flicked on the light switch, making it all the harder to notice when the other’s light also flicked on, and turned his back to the window, undressing hurriedly before quickly shutting off the light and diving into his bed.

Safe underneath the thin blankets, he let out a contented sigh, staring up at the ceiling as he awaited the stress of the day to lessen, the caffeine in his system to crash, and his eyes to finally fall closed.  He’d barely made it out of the gallery by midnight after having to clean the place thoroughly, contact a few of the artists about their newer pieces, and run some quick stock, typing up all the numbers before calling it quits for the evening.  It was probably somewhere close to one in the morning, and he had to be up at eight am just to repeat the process over again.

A light flicked on across the way and his eyes traveled to the small sliver of window he could still make out from his place in the bed.  A flash of bronze skin caught his attention, pressing itself right up against the glass for a moment before the sound of a window opening pierced the silence, causing him to flinch.

An embarrassed flush warmed his cheeks and he was suddenly quite thankful he’d already made it inside the bed before he got a full frontal of his neighbor, which would have definitely blown his cover as there was no way that view would have resulted in anything but an open-mouthed gawk, and possibly a little drool.

Pulling the sheet up and over his face, he fell into another fitful sleep, wondering if it was worth it to take a day off to buy some curtains.

By the time his alarm screeched loudly and startled him back into wakefulness, the resounding answer was definitely, yes, immediately, without another moment’s hesitation.  Even if it was a lovely view to have, the resulting crappy sleep that followed turned it into the nightmare he’d come to view it as.

It wasn’t just the images that he couldn’t seem to remove from his brain, and oh, there were many; but the overall guilt he felt over the situation of betraying a stranger’s trust before he’d even uttered a single word to them, of thinking improper things and lusting after an image without getting to know the human attached.  It made him feel disgusting, especially when he thought of how he might feel to have someone treat him the exact same way, like an object and not a flesh and blood person.

He called up his sister on the way out the door, deciding to take the opportunity to catch up while also seeking a little sisterly advice and a second eye for a decent set of light impenetrable curtains.  She answered on the third ring.

“Nico, I was just thinking about you.  What’s up?”  Her voice was a little thick, so he figured he’d probably actually woken her up.

“Hey, Hazel.  I was just wondering if you wanted to help me out today with a project I have to do.  Maybe we can get some lunch at that Indian place down the street from you beforehand and then you can spend the day shopping for curtains with me.”

The walk to work was a short two block trek from his apartments, so he reserved his car for things that actually warranted one, like picking up his sister or shopping to regain a small semblance of his former dignity.  The early morning air felt good on his tired face, kickstarting the day before he had the chance to grab a cup of coffee.

“Curtains?  As in, for your windows?  I thought you enjoyed the bright white ambiance curtain-less rooms gave off and that you’d sleep til noon if it wasn’t for the blinding light?”  Her voice sounded far too amused already, and he groaned inwardly at the thought of admitting why he needed a set.  Perhaps leaving her a little in the dark wouldn’t hurt.

“Ah, I do, and you’re correct, but I got a new neighbor, so I’d appreciate the privacy.”  It was more or less the truth, though the privacy he wanted was more for the other than for himself.  At least he seemed to be aware that someone across the building was able to see everything he was doing.  He could choose to refrain out of modesty.

“Alright, when do you want to head out?  Lunch is still a little ways away, but I’m free until six, so just text me a time and I’ll be ready.”

“Thanks, Hazel, I appreciate it.  I’ll let you know after I talk to Piper.  See you.”

“See you.”

Well, that was one less stress to worry about. Now to convince his friend to take on the extra workload out of pity for his plight.

* * *

 

It only took a mountain of groveling and the agreement that Jason could swing by to help out if necessary before Piper shooed him from the gallery around ten am.  He showered and changed, then called his sister up to allow her ample time to be ready before swinging by, getting some lunch down the road and heading out for the afternoon.

It was an unusually warm spring afternoon, so they kept the windows down while he drove, enjoying the soft breeze that kicked up and the scent of lilacs and hyacinth that wafted through the air each and every time he paused for a red light.  Hazel talked to him about the classes she was finishing up for her degree, the recent visits with their father, and random things about Frank that he barely listened to; all the while browsing through stacks of ugly colors of cloth before finally settling on a set of burgundy ones made from a thick corduroy like material.

Hazel thought the color would look great with his bedspread, which was much the same deep color of red; but his interest in the things lay with their impossibly thick fabric.  Hopefully, they’d be thick enough to prevent the light from shining through from the opposite window, allowing him to see the, in truth, less offensive and more so agonizingly tempting sight.

He dropped her back at home, said a quick goodbye with the promise of catching up again soon, and headed back to his place to hurriedly put the curtains up.  Installing the rod was probably the hardest part, he hadn’t thought about borrowing the electric drill from the gallery, so he had to settle for a regular screwdriver and a bit of elbow grease.  It took the better part of fifteen minutes, compared to the two he knew it should have taken him, but it was worth it.

Threading the curtains through the rod, a flash of silver light caught his attention and he halted his progress, glancing up through the window and nearly throwing the thing from himself in shock.  Sitting just in view of the window, back turned and completely naked, was his neighbor.  He wanted to be surprised, he really did; but with the level of ease the guy seemed to exhibit even just standing around after his showers, something told him being naked was probably second nature at that point, if not a little enjoyable.

In fact, the oddest part about it all, the thing that had him staring a little wide-eyed, unable to look away, was not that he was naked but that he was painting something upon a large canvas while in the nude.  It was too hard to get a good look around the broad slant of his back to see whether or not he was doing a good job of it, but good or not, why anyone painted naked was downright bizarre.  And even a little intriguing, though he’d never admit that out loud.

Forcing himself to pull his gaze back from Mr. C.S.G., he hurriedly finished with his curtains, snapped the pole into place above the windowsill, tightened the screws to keep it from falling, and raced out the door as fast as he could, desperate to tell Piper of this new discovery.

Only he’d forgotten about agreeing to allow Jason to be there in his absence, and he couldn’t bring himself to explain away his shortness of breath other than with a lie that he was worried they’d leave the front unattended in favor of a make-out session in the back.

Piper yelped in surprise while Jason snickered.  “That was one time, and you were here, to begin with.  I would never be so irresponsible while you were gone for an unknown amount of time.  Ye of little faith.”  Her pout looked more forced than sincere, so he rolled his eyes and shook his head.

Jason bit his lip to further stifle his laughter.  “Yeah, Neeks, I’d never let Pipes be so irresponsible in your place of business.”  Nico shot him a pointed look, and he grinned sheepishly.  “Uh, I mean, ever since the first time you threatened to never let me come back.”

Sighing heavily, he leaned back against the front desk.  “Yes, well, perhaps I was a little quick to assume.  I’m back now, though, so wrap it up and go enjoy the rest of your day off.  This is still a place of business, and my workers are workers first, friends second.”

Piper beamed at him, grabbing Jason by the wrist and pulling him toward the break room.  “Alright, boss.  I’ll just say goodbye and send him on his way.  Fifteen minutes tops.”

“See you, Nico,” Jason chirped, grinning like an idiot as the two rounded the corner out of sight. 

The only sounds that floated up were the occasional giggle, he really didn’t want to think about who was doing the giggling; and a scrape of chair leg against linoleum, which really made him glad that was all he heard.

Fifteen minutes on the dot, Jason wandered out the door, looking slightly dazed but thoroughly pleased.

“You’re cleaning the breakroom tonight.  And spare me the details, I don’t need to know if you’ve ever had sex in my gallery before.”

Piper quirked a brow, trying her best not to laugh outright.  “Alright, I’ll be sure to sanitize everything, then.”

Groaning, Nico covered his ears with a wince.  “I can’t tell if you’re serious or not, and now I’m going to have to burn the furniture just to be safe.”

Coming up beside him, she propelled herself up onto the desk, swinging her legs and cocking her head to the side.  “So, why’d you really run back here so fast?  I assume you have a bit more faith in me to keep your place safe without adult supervision.”

“I’m going to pretend that’s a joke about how Jason only looks like an adult.  And the amount of faith is only a fraction more than I let on.”  She swatted at him with a stack of papers, narrowly missing his arm as he danced out of reach with a laugh.  “Okay, I kid, I kid.  I have total faith in you.  I came to tell you sexy neighbor paints in the nude.”

“What,” she gasped, eyes wide, mouth drawn up into a comically absurd gleeful smile.  “Spill.  Right now.  How do you know this?  Oh god, was Hazel with you?  I sure hope not, she would insist upon you moving.”

Laughing, he ran a hand through his hair before shrugging.  “I was putting up my curtains and got a nice view of bare backside.  I didn’t stick around very long, just put them up and came straight over to tell you.  And no, Hazel didn’t come with, thank god.  I would have been so mortified if she knew why I needed the curtains.  Only I would get a neighbor that enjoys being a nudist.”

“Only you would be so lucky,” she corrected, eyes twinkling happily.

Nico scoffed.  “You call it luck, I call it misfortune.  If I ever meet him in person all I’ll be able to see is his naked ass, and then he’ll think I’m some perv or something.”

“If he figures it out.  That’s a big if.  I mean, what are the odds you keep happening upon him in the nude?  Surely he wears clothes at some point.”  She squealed with delight, bouncing up and down in her seat.  “Or maybe he’s really just an actual nudist.  You should introduce yourself.  Already know he’s got a nice… package.”  She winked, and he groaned.

“Piper, please refrain from making lewd comments in the workplace.  What if a customer heard you and we got a bad rep?”

She mimed zipping her mouth, eyes scanning the room before she unzipped it again.  “Remind me what this hunk looks like again?  I want a good mental visual.  For… scientific reasons.”

Rolling his eyes, he ticked off the things on his fingers.  “Well, he’s pretty tan, kind of like Jason.  I’d say average height, probably close to six feet.  Golden hair, light eyes, nice face.  Uh, I don’t really know much about his style, but probably pretty laid back.  He wears flannel pajama bottoms to bed?”

“So, like, flip-flops and cargo shorts with tee shirts and long-sleeved flannel tops over them, sleeves rolled up to the elbow,” she asked with an air of nonchalance, staring at a point somewhere behind him.

Frowning, he shrugged again.  “That was oddly specific, but sure, maybe something like that.”

A huge grin spread across her face, hazel eyes shining brightly as she hopped off the counter with a laugh.  “Oh good.  I think he just walked in, then.”

Spinning around, Nico had the misfortune to watch as the walking nightmare, also known as his nudist neighbor, approached them slowly; smiling brighter than the sun, blue eyes crinkled slightly.  All he could do was stare like a deer trapped in blinding headlights as the guy sauntered up to the counter, running a hand through his hair and tilting his head in question.

“I’m looking for the owner,” he asked with a voice like calm waves lapping the shoreline; soft and sensual, with just the hint of a something deeper and gravely.

“This is him,” Piper so very unhelpfully pointed out, digging an elbow into his side so hard he actually winced.

Offering out a hand, the guy gave another horribly blinding smile.  “Hi, I’m Will.  I’m an artist new to the area, so I thought I’d introduce myself.”

 _How in the fuck is he even better looking with clothes on,_  Nico thought, swallowing hard against the sudden lump threatening to block his airway.

What he said was, “Nice to meet you, I’m Nico.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The only thing I can think about while I'm writing this, is the nudist neighbor in the show Friends.  
> Anyway, I hope it was enjoyable.  
> Don't worry, I won't be making it obscene, just because Will likes to stand around all nekked.  
> It's more supposed to be amusing than sexual, more funny and embarrassing than arousing.  
> I mean, hot dude likes to walk around in the buff? Okay. :)
> 
> Ah, skyclad is a pagan term for ritualistic nudity, but it was mostly just because it popped into my head.  
> And, you know, I might be a little bit pagan.
> 
> Comments are so lovely. They make me smile, and keep words flowing. :)


	2. Why does he have to be an artist?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm overly tired now.

Head titled to the side, his eyes narrowed momentarily.  “Do I… know you from somewhere,” Will asked, voice laced with mild curiosity.

To his right, he could hear Piper snickering behind her hand, but he ignored it, trying hard not to run screaming from the room.  “I don’t think so, no,” he lied, surprised by the calm tone of his voice, even while internally he was more than panicked.

Will seemed to be satisfied with that, offering another brilliantly dazzling smile.  “Oh, okay.  My mistake.  Perhaps you just have one of those faces.”

“Yeah, perhaps,” Nico muttered, feeling the steady blush begin to rise to his cheeks.

Will hummed in agreement, pulling back the hand Nico hadn’t even realized was still locked tight in his grip.  “Well, I stopped by because I used to have a deal with an art gallery on the other side of town, but since this is so much closer to my place, I was thinking maybe you guys would be interested in making a new deal.  I can bring my work by sometime, or you can send someone over to check it out.  I live like two blocks away, so whenever you get the time, I’m also free.”  He offered another adorable smile, causing Nico’s heart to accelerate inside his chest.

Piper elbowed him again when he took a second too long to respond.  “Oh, right.  Yeah, bring it by sometime,” Nico responded shakily.

Will quirked his eyebrow, mouth fighting hard against another smile.  “Okay.  How does right now sound,” he asked, voice dripping with soft amusement.

Nico nodded his head in a daze.  “Sure, now sounds great, we’re not really doing much.”

“Great,” Will chirped, taking a large step backward.  “I’ll be back in a flash, then.”  Spinning on his heels, he jogged out the door.

When the guy was finally out of sight of the large windows, Piper grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him violently.  “Oh my god, Nico!  You have all of the luck. He is so cute!  Why didn’t you tell me how cute he was?  Please get his number.  Oh please.”  She let him go after a moment, beaming at him like a crazy person.

Blinking back a sudden wave of nausea, he groaned.  “You call that luck?  Why does he have to be an artist? Now I’m going to have to deal with him on a regular basis, and he’ll find out we live across from one another, and he’ll know I saw him naked.  Piper, this is not funny, stop laughing at me.”

Piper covered her mouth, effectively stifling the giggle.  “I’m not laughing,” she mumbled, the sound muffled by her laughter as well as her fingers.

He shot her a sour look, earning another fit of laughter in response.  “Don’t you have some cleaning to do or something?  You could at least be helpful in some manner, if you won’t acknowledge my pain.”

“Sorry,” she gasped, composing herself.  “Okay, I feel and acknowledge your pain.  You’re right, it’s terrible luck that your hot neighbor, who likes to be naked, also likes to paint, which is something huge you two have in common, and that he wants you to sell his art, which is beneficial to the both of you, and that you’ll probably have an excuse to call him whenever you want.  Just a Shakespearean tragedy.”

The look turned to one of bitter contempt.  “You are quite possibly the worst friend in existence.”

“Best friend,” she corrected, smiling brightly.  “Because I’m going to help you out.”

“Oh yeah, and how are you going to do that,” he huffed, crossing arms over his chest.

She pinched his cheek.  “Why, by giving you and Mr. Sex God a reason to be alone together, of course.  So when he comes back, I’ll just fib an emergency, and leave him no choice but to stay all night with you, and then you can get to know him better.”

Nico paled.  “Uh, Piper, that is the exact opposite of helping me out.  I don’t need him to stay, I need him to go.  Far away.  And hopefully never come back, so he doesn’t find me out.”

“What was that,” she asked, feigning innocence.  “I’m sorry, but I can’t hear you over the sound of my plotting.”

“Seriously Piper, if you love me at all, you will _not_ do something like that to me.”

“Oh look, he’s coming back,” she hummed, smiling cheerfully.

“What,” he shouted, spinning around in a panic.  Hands flew up to press against his burning cheeks when he realized she was only teasing him.  Taking a deep breath, he let it out in a shaky sounding sigh.  “I’m seriously going to disown you if you don’t stop trying to give me an anxiety attack, Piper.  I’m already freaking out enough as is, I don’t need you adding to it.”

Wrapping arms around him from behind, she squeezed him tight.  “Alright, I won’t force you and Mr. Sexy Nudist to be alone together, but I do think you should take a deep breath, and count your blessings.  You never know, he might be your prince charming.”

Frowning, he huffed.  “Yeah, right.  He’s probably as straight as they come.  You know my luck with cute men.”

She nodded sympathetically, giving a dramatic sigh.  “But that was years ago, and I have a good feeling about this.  Just don’t count yourself out before you’ve even given it a chance.”  He opened his mouth to argue, but she cut him off.  “I don’t want to hear it, Nico.  Besides, not to brag or anything, but I know my effect on men, and he didn’t even spare me a second glance.  Honey, he gay.”

Rolling his eyes, he patted the arm still snugly pressed against his chest.  “Let me worry first about whether or not he is a good artist before I start planning the wedding, okay?”

Squealing with delight, she planted a sloppy wet kiss to his cheek.  “Deal.  And I’ll go clean the break room,” she chirped, releasing her hold and skipping away.

Heaving a sigh, he wondered briefly if it was still too late to duck out the back.

* * *

 

Will returned a little while later, breathless, and glistening with sweat.  In his hands, he clutched three large photo albums, smiling sheepishly as he set them down upon the counter.  “Sorry for taking so long.  I recently moved into the apartments down the block, and I couldn’t quite remember which box I’d put these into.  Obviously my paintings are too big to haul over by hand, and most are in my storage unit, but here is an entire collection of everything I’ve ever done, minus a few new ones I’ve been working on these past two weeks.”

Nico nodded, grabbing up the topmost album, and flipping it to the first page.

“Ah, those are my very firsts.  Most of them have already sold, but if there’s anything you really like, I can recreate it, or even make something similar.”

Beautiful watercolor scenery shots of lakes, rivers, meadows, and buildings lined the first page, all of the brush strokes soft and faded in delicate ways.  He was going to comment on how great they looked, until he caught sight of the next page, filled with impressionist paintings of woods, people, landscapes, and even fruit.  The very next page held cubist style arts, and the following was all realism.  Each style was different, though each held the same kind of captivating appearance.

“You paint different styles,” he murmured, finishing the first album in its entirety, before picking up the next.  The same theme held true, as well as with the next album.  “And you’re really good at it.  Most people just pick one and hone their skills to that subject.”

Brushing a hand through his hair, he shrugged.  “I never really found one singular style that spoke to me more than the others.  I’ll do anything, just for the love of painting.  I hope that’s not a problem.  If you want, I can pick one and try to stick to it.”

Nico shook his head adamantly.  “Not at all, it’s actually quite refreshing.  Sometimes it’s really hard to find good cubism, and everyone out there is painting impressionist.  You can only offer so many van Gogh and Monet styles to people before they stop wanting to buy anymore.  I’d be happy to carry anything you’re comfortable with having displayed.” 

The smile pulling at his lips faded the moment he glanced up again, struck by how absolutely gorgeous the other was.  Blue eyes twinkled brightly as he smiled back, bronze skin set aglow by the florescent bulbs shining high overhead.

“I’m really glad you like them,” Will breathed, features softening into something kind and warm and light.

He had to swallow hard against the sudden lump forming in his throat, lips parting slightly as he tried to remember how sentences formed without sounding completely stupid.  Instead, he nodded stiffly, hoping it would suffice for the time being.

Will beamed again, tilting his head to the side.  “So, I’ll bring some stuff by, maybe tomorrow, and we can talk prices?  I wasn’t entirely prepared to find something so soon after starting out.  I didn’t even realize this place was right by here, until I was walking past.”

“Ah, yeah.  I just moved over to here about a month ago.  I used to have a space across town, but this was within walking distance of my home, so when it became available, I jumped at the chance to be closer to work.  Saves gas, saves the environment, lets me sleep a little later.”

Will nodded in agreement.  “All very good things.  You live close by?”

Without thinking, he blurted out the answer.  “Yeah, in the apartments two blocks away.”  The moment the words left his lips, he wished he could stuff them back in.  The sound of giggling floated from the back room, and he knew Piper was listening intently.

A pleased look crossed the other’s face, and he smiled brightly once more.  “I do, too.  That’s probably why I thought you looked familiar.  What’s your apartment number, maybe we’re neighbors.”

_Kill me now, please dear lord, before I can embarrass myself further._

“Ah, I don’t really give out that kind of information to people I don’t know,” he mumbled instead, hoping his face wasn’t as red as he thought it might be.

Will blinked a few times in surprise, before a sheepish look crossed his own face.  “Oh, right.  Sorry, I guess I didn’t think about that small factor.  Well, hey, maybe I’ll see you around sometime, then.  I’m in three D, so if you ever need to swing by for any reason, you know where to find me.”  Collecting up the albums, he gave a small wave.  “I’ll bring some stuff tomorrow, or the next day.  It was nice to meet you, Nico.”  Biting his lip, he turned around and sauntered out the door.

Piper practically levitated to his side, jumping up and down happily and clapping her hands.  “See?  He totally thinks you’re hot,” she gloated, face smug, like she was the one Will liked.  “Now when you get married, because you’re clearly soulmates, you can thank your dearest friend for hooking you up.”

“First of all,” he groaned, feeling exasperated suddenly.  It was probably the week of awful sleep, though it could have been the headache of having to deal with all of the stress at the same time.  “He in no way even hinted at attraction.  I would know, I was there.  And secondly, he’s being friendly, because we’re going to display his work.  That’s what you do with business associates.  And how did you even do anything, aside from snicker at my horrible luck?”

She gave him a pointed look, before rolling her eyes.  “You could have someone tell you they thought you were cute and wanted to go out, and you’d still find a way to excuse their actions as being ‘friendly.’  Just admit you’re a lost cause already.”

“I’m a lost cause,” he said matter-of-factly, dancing away from the backhand she was aiming at his arm.  “Will you stop eavesdropping on people and go work or something, already?  What do I even pay you for, anyway?”

“My company and my advice,” she quipped, blowing him a kiss rather cheekily.

It was his turn to roll his eyes.  “Go, before I take back my decision to hire you over Annabeth.”

Piper gasped, placing a hand over her chest in mock offense.  “That hurts, Nico,” she pouted, then grinned.  “Besides, you know Annabeth would probably have embarrassed you more.  At least I’ll sit back and watch, she would have already asked what his intentions were, and then lectured him for an hour on why you don’t stand around naked in front of your window.”

Wincing at the thought, he was inclined to agree.  “Touché.”

* * *

 

It was perhaps the best sleep he’d gotten all week, even if he did oversleep a little bit in the process.  The room darkening curtains lived up to their name, so when his first alarm had gone off, he must have mistaken it for something else, and turned the thing off, before rolling back over and burrowing deeper beneath the blankets.  Luckily for him, he knew himself, and had set not three, but four total alarms, each one five minutes after the last.

It was the fourth and final one that thankfully woke him, and he rolled out of bed groggily, forgoing a shower to save time.  With a large cup of coffee in hand, he grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl on the table, and set off toward work.

“Good morning, Nico!  I guess we really are neighbors, then,” came the cheerful voice from directly behind him, and he turned around slowly, starring horrorstruck at the bright and shiny nightmare standing a few feet away.  Will jogged up, face flushed and sweaty, chest rising and falling visibly as he panted slightly, smiling like it really was a great morning.  “Did you just wake up?”

“Uh, sort of,” he mumbled, squinting up at the overly chipper person glowing in front of him.

Will nodded, swiping at his forehead with the back of his hand.  “I’ve been up for over an hour.  Early morning is the best time to go for a run.” 

Nico hummed in agreement, though truth be told, he wouldn’t know when a good time to run happened to be, unless the correct answer was never, and especially not before nine am.  The only thing he liked to do in the morning was go back to sleep.

Will grinned.  “So do you live on the third floor, then?”  He titled his head, waiting patiently for the response.

Taking a slow sip from his cup, he assessed the other critically.  The question seemed innocent enough, though it was hard to tell with the obnoxiously bright smile playing out on his face.  When he couldn’t avoid the question any longer, he nodded.  “Yep, but I’m not really home much, lots of work to do.”

“That’s too bad.  Well, I won’t keep you from work any longer, then.  See you later, Nico,” he hummed, giving a quick wave before jogging off down the sidewalk.  He kept going past the stairs up to his place, disappearing out of sight as he turned the corner.

The rest of the walk was spent in a daze, almost passing the gallery while lost in thought.  If it hadn’t been for Piper shouting at him to get inside, he probably would have kept walking until he reached the ocean, over a mile away.

She gave him a strange look, quirking a brow in concern.  “Poor sleep again?”

“No, he just figured out which apartment I live in, is all,” he replied, walking into the breakroom and plopping down into one of the chairs.  “Which means he’s probably going to figure out I can see his room from mine, and then put two and two together, and then I’ll have to move towns and change my name so I don’t die from embarrassment.”  Forehead kissed table with an audible thunk.

“Well, that escalated quickly.  Care to elaborate a little?”

“No,” he groaned, not bothering to sit up.  After a beat of silence, he shrugged.  “He runs in the mornings, so he saw me coming down the stairs.”

Piper took the seat across from him, giving a low whistle of appreciation.  “Likes to paint and is into physical fitness.  I guess you know why he looks so great naked.”

Lifting his head slightly, he glared in response.  “You are the least helpful person I’ve ever met in my entire life.  Why are we friends again?”

“Because I don’t take crap, and I’m always there to make you feel better when you begin spiraling down into a vortex of anxiousness and doubt.  Plus, you’re a secret masochist.”

He nodded in agreement.  “Oh yes, I remember now.  The masochist part.”

“Rude,” she teased, eyes twinkling with amusement.  “But seriously, though, I think you’re overreacting again.  Don’t you think he’d have said something if he realized you were checking out his naked glory this whole time?  At least a teeny, tiny little bit?”

“Maybe he’s a secret fetishist, who gets off to being watched,” he deadpanned, smiling beside himself when Piper burst into a fit of hysterical laughter.

Wiping at her eyes, she gasped for air.  “You would attract the kinky type.”

“I haven’t attracted anyone,” he frowned, pursing his lips.  “It’s not like I have a choice in the matter, he happens to live across from me, and happens to be an artist.  I can’t exactly change those two facts”

“Doesn’t stop the fact that he’s into you,” she smirked, rolling her eyes at his scowl.  “I’m just saying, for someone who is supposedly not into you, he sure goes out of his way to approach you already.”

Blinking rapidly, he spluttered in response.  “I’d hardly call trying to have your work sold and accidentally running into someone who lives literally right next to you trying to approach, Piper.  Stop fantasizing about things that will never happen.”

She rolled her eyes again, this time added a dramatic sigh to boot.  “You are impossible, Nico.  Can’t you, even for one small second, pretend that you are someone worth approaching, and think about how lovely it would be if he was into you?”

Placing a finger to his chin, he mocked contemplation.  “Okay, done.  And it got me nowhere, just like I thought.”  Sitting back in his chair, he raked a hand down his face.  “I can already tell today is going to be one hell of a day, and it’s not even nine thirty yet.  I need a vacation.”

Piper nodded in agreement.  “You’re right, which is why I think it’s time you finally hired another employee.”

“What?  No, it was just a figure of speech, Piper, you know I can’t afford to hire someone else, even part time.”

Clucking her tongue, she pulled out her cellphone, fingers quickly typing out a message.  There was a minute of silence, then a small ping, and a smile bloomed across her face.  “Well, problem solved.  Rachel said she would love to work weekends so you can take a break, and she’ll even work overtime for free if you let her use the breakroom as her own personal studio.  So now you have no excuse, and you’re off tomorrow, so better use the time wisely.”

Staring hard at the girl, he gave her his most withering look, but she only hummed in amusement and smiled in response.  Sighing heavily, his forehead reacquainted itself with the hard surface of the table.  “I hate you so much sometimes.”

“I love you, too,” she cooed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not even sure it's good?  
> But I'm tired and I wrote it out, and so I'll post it regardless.
> 
> So this is why we don't drink massive amounts of coffee in a day.  
> Because, crash.
> 
> Comments keep me going. It's pretty much scientific fact.  
> <3


	3. Why does he have to be charming?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness, sorry for the delay!  
> There is a theme to the chapter titles. :D

“Waiting for something,” Piper asked next to the shell of his ear, after creeping up so stealthily he actually let out a very girly squeal in response.  Spinning on his heels, he shot her another withering look.

“Are you trying to give me a heart attack,” he huffed, folding arms grumpily over his chest.

Piper cocked a brow, slow smirk quirking the left side of her pouty lips.  Her hazel eyes twinkled at him mischievously, but her tone spoke with nonchalance.  “Perhaps.  Are you evading my question?”

“No,” he muttered, though the slow blush he felt pinking his cheeks clearly stated otherwise.

The girl let out a low chuckle, the sound bubbly and throaty at the same time.  “He’s not going to come any faster, and staring at the clock like that is only going to aggravate you further.”

Brow furrowed hard as his lower lip turned childishly outward in protest.  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m not even looking at the clock.”

“You’re literally checking it every sixteen seconds, Nico.  I know, I counted.  It’s actually kind of creepy that you’ve developed such an isochronal rhythm.  Are you anxious to see him again, or anxious because you _have_ to see him again?”

“I’m... I was… I didn’t… I’m not anxious,” he spluttered, blinking rapidly, as if that would somehow deliver the meaning and sincerity better than his incoherent thoughts could.

Piper snickered, patting him gently on the shoulder.  “Nico, it’s okay to admit you’re feeling anxious.  I mean, cute dude likes to get naked, likes to paint, does it really well, clearly has the hots for you.  It’s understandable why you’re a little tense.  What has it been, like three years since your last date?”

“My love life isn’t up for discussion,” he growled, turning his back to hide the further deepening color in his cheeks.

She gasped dramatically, before letting out a high-pitched trill of giggles.  “Oh my god, don’t tell me it’s been longer than that, even?  Seriously, I thought you saw that Mark dude a few years back.”

“Piper, that was two thousand eleven.”

She blinked slowly, not really getting his intent.

Running a hand through his hair, he sighed.  “It’s twenty seventeen, which means that was six years ago, and we only went out for coffee like twice.”

Piper placed a finger to her chin, lips pursing as she thought.  “I could have sworn there was someone more recently.  David?”

“Before Mark.”

“Someone… like a Paul?”

Groaning loudly, his hands came up to hide his face.  “Please just stop, before you remind me even more how utterly rusty I’ve become these last few years.  Spare my poor ego at least a tiny shred of dignity.”  Peeking through his fingers, he watched her chew her lip, expression sheepish.

“Okay, well, so you haven’t actually dated in a while.  Good thing the knowledge is always there, like swimming.”

His expression dropped once more, brow coming back together.  “You know I can’t swim, Piper.  I never learned, or did you forget the lake incident of two thousand eight?”

Her eyes went wide for a moment before she covered her mouth to stifle her giggle.  “Oops.  Okay, well, like riding a bike, then.  It might be a little wobbly at first, but once you get going, muscle memory takes over, and you’re zipping along no sweat.  So just take a deep breath and go with the flow.  You’ll be fine.”  She offered him a dazzling smile but he only rolled his eyes.

“I don’t know why we’re even having this conversation.  I’m not anxious, and if I were, it isn’t because I’m interested in Will.  I just… want to get the whole thing over with already,” he finished lamely, wincing when she shot him a disapproving look.

Releasing a long sigh-like breath of air, Piper patted his cheek.  “The sooner you can admit you have a problem, the sooner you can work toward a solution.”

“Thanks, but I don’t need a ten-step program for my love life,” he replied, dryly.  She smirked again, and he huffed.  “Go finish your work or something, if you have time to count the seconds between my looks at the clock, you have time to organize the back and rearrange the displays.”

“So, you admit you were checking the clock, then,” she asked, grinning wickedly.

“Go.  Now.”

Turning on her heels, she sauntered out of the room.

* * *

 

It was fifteen minutes to closing before the glass door opened and a slightly sweaty Will shuffled up to the counter, panting a little and smiling brightly.  Wiping a stray drop from his temple, he leaned delicately across the surface of wood, enveloping Nico in the crisp scent of guy and the sweetly fruity scent of coconut.

“Sorry, I would have called but my phone died, and I left the charger at home.  I was passing by and thought I’d just pop in and let you know I was too busy to swing by this afternoon, but I’m free tomorrow, so I was thinking whenever is good for you is good for me.”  He smiled again, blue eyes sparkling in the fluorescent light.

Nico sat dumbfounded for a moment, watching as another bead of sweat trickled down the curve of his neck.  “Uh, that’s okay,” he finally choked out, swallowing hard despite the sudden desert dryness of his throat and mouth.  “I’m fine with anything, just fit us in whenever you get the chance.”

“Alright, I’ll see about stopping in just after opening, then,” Will hummed, drumming his fingers absentmindedly along the glossy surface of counter.  His eyes searched for something, then locked back onto Nico’s face.  “What are your hours again?”

“We open around nine, though Piper sometimes gets in around eight thirty.  She has a key, so you wouldn’t need to worry about not getting in.”

Will nodded slowly, chewing on the corner on his lower lip.  “And when do you get in,” he finally asked, quirking a brow curiously.

Nico rubbed the back of his neck, willing the blood rushing to his face to go away.  “Uh, usually around nine exactly.”

“Actually,” Piper sing-songed, appearing directly to his right.  If Nico didn’t know any better, he would swear she had a gift for teleportation.  “Nico isn’t going to be in tomorrow.  Or Sunday.  We just hired a part time employee to allow the boss man here a few days off every now and then.”  Digging her elbow into his ribcage, she winked, not even trying to conceal her amusement.

Will frowned slightly, looking a little put out.  “Oh, Monday isn’t good for me.  I’m actually pretty busy all week, I have a lot of catching up to do; unpacking, finding a closer storage unit, moving my work there.”  He smiled softly, swiping a hand through his golden hair.  “Well, I guess maybe I’ll be finished by next Friday. I can just push myself a little harder to make sure everything is completed by then.”

Nico held up his hands in a placating manner.  “Nonsense.  You can just talk numbers with Piper, here.  She’s going to have to learn it all sometime, and I trust her judgement.  She’s been with me this whole time, so she knows how I manage things.”

“Or,” Piper squealed, earning a horrified look from Nico, which she pointedly ignored.  “You and Nico can just meet up outside of work.  I mean, you are neighbors, after all.  It’s not like you’ll have to go out of your way or anything.  And Nico is completely free tomorrow.  No offense, boss, but you don’t really have much of a life outside of this place.”

Nico’s horrified look paled significantly.  _Please let there be an earthquake or something.  Just let the ground open and swallow me whole already._

Will smiled at that, lighting up like a miniature sun.  “Oh, that’s a great idea.  I can just take you to my storage unit, and then you can see everything I have at once.”

He’d meant to shake his head and stutter out some form of excuse as to why he couldn’t make it; family emergency, sudden last minute plans, a slight cold coming on, unplanned trip to China to get as far away as he could possibly get; but Piper beat him to the punch.

“Great!  You already know where to find him, apartment 3F.  He’s usually up early from habit, but definitely not a morning person.  I’d say around eleven would be your best bet, give him a chance to wake up some.”  She smiled just as obnoxiously back, ignoring the sudden claws digging into the tanned skin of her arm as Nico silently protested.

If Will was phased by the fact Piper was making the plan for him, he didn’t show it.  Nodding again, he gave a small wave, taking a step back.  “It’s a date, then.  I’ll swing by around eleven exactly.  See you, Nico.”

When he was gone, Nico turned on his friend, glaring hard at her excited expression.  “What the serious fuck, Piper?  Why would you volunteer my time like that, without even asking me!  I can’t go with him, all alone, to some strange place!  I don’t even know the guy, what if he’s a secret serial killer?”

She snorted in response, loosening his fingers from their deathlike grip on her bicep.  “Please, that boy is far too nice and sunshine rainbows to be a psychopath.  He’s so warm and friendly.”

“That is exactly what they said about Ted Bundy!”

Waving her hand dismissively in his face, she chuckled again.  “You’ll be fine.  Be glad, I just scored you a date.”

Nico groaned, raking a hand down his face.  “Just because he used a common term, doesn’t mean he meant it that way.  It was a figure of speech.  Please stop reading into everything you hear and taking it so literal.”

“I’ll stop taking it literal when it stops being meant literally,” she quipped, batting her eyelashes at his newest glare.  “Just enjoy your day off, hang out with a cute guy, and see where things go.  What better excuse do you have to get to know someone than under the guise of work?  If he’s a freak or something, you don’t even have to avoid his calls, because it technically wasn’t an actual date.”

He pursed his lips for a moment, before grumbling deep in his throat.  “Fine.  But so help me, if it gets weird, I’m holding you personally responsible.  No more Jason in the gallery, ever again.”

“Deal,” she beamed, reaching out a hand to shake.

Nico returned the gesture, allthewhile hoping he’d wake up with the worst flu-like disease imaginable, giving him a solid excuse not to torment himself further.

* * *

 

Unfortunately for him, he woke up feeling completely refreshed and rejuvenated.  The sunlight cast its beams down through a crack in his thick curtains, splaying across his face in an annoyingly cheerful way.  He huffed at the disturbance, but otherwise, felt no reason he couldn’t get out of bed.  Begrudgingly, and after a great deal of working himself up to it, he did just that; taking a long, scalding shower to further loosen himself up.

By nine forty-five, he was going insane.  Each sound, the tick of a clock, or the whirr of his refrigerator’s fan coming on, made him feel a little more panicked.  By ten fifteen, he was out the door, powerwalking his way back to the gallery, ready to argue with Piper about why he was needed for the day, and why it was considered irresponsible to not be there for Rachel’s first day of training.

Which of course meant that by ten twenty-eight, he was already being shoved unceremoniously out the door, swearing under his breath as the sound of the lock clicking behind him shot his anxiety through the roof.  He stood just outside the gallery for a good five minutes more, ignoring the sound of the pleased giggles he could hear, and refusing to acknowledge the girl’s presence behind him.

By ten fifty-seven, he was perched on a stool near the door, watching the white paint so hard it made his eyes cross.  The sound of a knock startled him so horribly, that he leaped from the chair, a loud crashing sound echoing around the sparse room.  Even before he opened the door, he knew his face was bright red from embarrassment.

“Is everything alright,” Will asked, trying to peer around Nico into the apartment beyond.  His brow was knit with mild concern, though the smile on his lips was warm, and his voice was sweet like liquid honey.

Nico made it a point to block the offending view with his person, tilting his head to the side curiously.  “Yes?  Oh, sorry, I just knocked my bar stool over when I walked past.  I’m a little clumsy sometimes.”  He chuckled awkwardly at his half-truth, slipping through the sliver of open door, turning around to close and lock it behind him.  “You’re rather punctual,” he chirped, spinning back round to gape up at the figure standing far closer than necessary.

“I try to be,” Will hummed, voice low and smooth.

Swallowing hard, Nico sidestepped until he wasn’t close enough to feel body heat, or smell the fruity scent of what he assumed was probably shampoo or soap.  “Ah, well that’s good.  So, I guess we should get going, then.  Lead the way.”

The entire ride across town was terribly painful.  Will talked and questioned and smiled brightly, while Nico spluttered and blushed and tried to disappear.  What he wouldn’t give in that moment to be able to slip quietly into darkness, popping out somewhere no one knew his face or name

For all the awkwardness Nico exhibited, Will didn’t seem to be perplexed or offended in the slightest.  The guy just hummed and nodded at the poor excuse for two-sided conversation, sparing the occasional sidelong glance and smirk whenever he’d stop at a red light; which was good, because Nico would have freaked out even worse if he felt like a science experiment under probing gaze.

It was absolute torture, worse for the fact that the guy managed to be utterly charming, on top of gorgeous and talented.  His ability to have patience with Nico’s awkward fumbling and too long silence without sighing or rolling his eyes was applaudable, if not a little endearing.

That, and his level voice, combined the warmth that positively radiated from his person, was soothing enough that the longer Will spoke, the calmer Nico began to feel; until they fell into a less chaotic kind of rhythm, and Will’s bubbly chatter became a slow trickle, allowing Nico to steadily breath once more.  By the time he stepped out of the car, a delicious thrum of energy was coursing through his veins, igniting a spark of determination in his soul.

“Give me a sec, I just need to unlock it,” Will said, producing a small, sliver key from the pocket of his jeans.  Nico hung back quietly, trying hard not to look anywhere close to the other’s really nice looking backside.  “Ah, there,” he murmured, pulling up on the rope on the ground until the metal door began its ascent with a rumbling moan.

The interior was dim, but Will flicked on the light switch, flooding the place in a pale white glow.  It was longer than he expected it to be, given the small looking door, stretching back for a good twenty feet, covered canvases lining up and down the particleboard walls.  They sat in neat little rows, arranged by size and height.  In all, there had to have been close to fifty works, though it was hard to know for sure.

Nico gave a low whistle of appreciation.  “That is a lot of painting.  It must have taken a long time to create so many.”

Will stepped up beside him, lifting an arm in a half shrug.  “Not really, no.  I don’t always utilize the entire canvas for every work.  And I’ve been doing it for so long, it really doesn’t take as much time as you’d think.  Supportive mother, and all that.”  He smiled warmly, as if the memories he had were fond.

“May I see some,” Nico asked quietly, feeling a blush rise to his cheeks, even though that was the reason the two had come.  Somehow, it felt a little more personal in the quiet of the long room; like he was intruding on something intimate and secretive.

“Sure thing,” Will hummed, sauntering up to the closest one and pulling off the white sheet that protected it. 

It was an impressionist piece of an autumn setting, a family picnicking underneath the shade of a tall oak, while scattered leaves blew in the wind.  The majority of the work was soft and smooth, but here and there, the occasional hint of a raised edge gave off a lifelike swoop or curve, the hardened paint glossier than the rest of the matte look.

“It’s beautiful.  Did you paint from a photo, or imagination?”

Smiling, Will gingerly stroked one of the figures in the art.  “Photo.  Of my mom, dad, and I all in central park when I was about four.  My dad died not long after, so it was the last photo of the three of us.  I took a few creative liberties, of course, made it more picturesque.  I can show you the inspiration, if you’d like.”  He turned inquisitively, the light of his eyes slightly darker than normal.

Nico nodded stiffly, willing himself to break eye contact before he forgot how to form words.  “Sure, if it’s not any trouble.”

“Not at all,” Will murmured, smiling softly.

Nico blinked a few times, before nodding again.

It took all of his willpower to step away, picking up the next canvas and unveiling its content.  The cubist piece bore soft greys and warm tans, the thick black, sharp lines steadily interlacing to form a picture of a naked woman standing upright, holding a guitar to her breast.  It was elegant, in a strange way, the harsh lines muted gently by the wide range of similar hues and highlighting brushstrokes.  Even as the woman sat faceless and clearly nude, it wasn’t vulgar, nor sexual in the slightest.

“Ah, that was imagination.  I’m sure any woman in her right mind would flip out if someone took her nude body and turned it into a cubist piece.”  He chuckled at that, setting down the other canvas and encroaching back on Nico’s personal space.  “I chose a woman over a man because I figured it would sell better.”

“See a lot of naked men, then,” Nico blurted, trying for an awkward joke, and instead just sounding completely awkward.  The sudden flush that spread across his face was probably the exact hue of a tomato.

Will made a strange noise in the back of his throat, biting onto his lower lip to stifle his laughter.  “Not really, unless you count seeing myself in a mirror.  Don’t really see a lot of naked anything, to be honest.”  He hummed then, blue eyes dancing with amusement, eyebrow quirking upward curiously.  “Why? Do you?”

Nico was pretty sure his heart stopped the erratic quake in his chest, tendrils of ice seeping down into his core. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was really going to write more, but that was just... well, honestly, anything else would have paled in comparison.
> 
> Sorry about the long delay (okay, long for me.)  
> I totally fell into Hell. Double new fandom Hell. Hours upon hours of gaming and binge tv watching. I can't seem to do anything half-assed, which is my only excuse for not writing on top of consuming new content.  
> I'm still kind of reeling from it, so I might be slow for a little while.  
> If you read any of my other zillion fics still updating, same excuse applies for those, too. (Oh god, I have so many...)
> 
> Anyway!  
> Tell me what you think in a lovely comment.  
> Or just spew randomness at me to keep me focused on the real word. :)  
> I appreciate all things. :D


	4. Why does he have to be kind?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Should he just die right then and there, saving himself from further embarrassment? Was there anything to say to redeem himself right then? Was Will actually asking what he thought he was asking, waiting for Nico to admit his perverted ways? Could running away screaming actually be an option?
> 
> _What I wouldn’t give to suddenly know how to teleport away from here._
> 
> Time felt like it slowed down to a heavily weighted mass upon his skin; the seconds so painfully noticeable that each one carved nails into his skull with terrible echoing emptiness, gravity itself bearing down on his entire being, massively and exponentially. It was impossible to think of anything save the ice piercing his veins, the screaming insecurities reverberating inside his mind, and the sudden wave of nausea rolling around his stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> adshgsjks!!!  
> I am feeling so proud of myself. :,)

Nico’s heart stopped beating altogether.  The agonizingly sharp ache in his ribcage was like nothing he’d ever known; a balloon filled too full inside of him, threatening to crack bones as it expanded ever outward at an alarmingly suffocating rate.

He wanted to scream; to run, to hide, to deny; to disappear permanently, and remove every last trace of his existence from everything he’d ever so much as briefly touched.  It was consuming and horrifying, tongue going limp inside his mouth, eyes widening as jaw slackened, lips parting and sitting agape.

Allthewhile, Will’s stupid adorable smile never faltered from his beautiful face.

Perhaps it was slightly histrionic to define it that way, heart-stopping, when it was clearly still sending blood-flow to all parts of his body, especially the areas in his face; but in all sincerity, he was eighty-nine percent positive that the mechanism in his hollow chest had at least failed to beat in perfect rhythm; forgoing three of the necessary pumps to just sit there, idly waiting for his signal.

Should he just die right then and there, saving himself from further embarrassment?  Was there anything to say to redeem himself right then?  Was Will actually asking what he thought he was asking, waiting for Nico to admit his perverted ways?  Could running away screaming actually be an option?

_What I wouldn’t give to suddenly know how to teleport away from here._

Time felt like it slowed down to a heavily weighted mass upon his skin; the seconds so painfully noticeable that each one carved nails into his skull with terrible echoing emptiness, gravity itself bearing down on his entire being, massively and exponentially.  It was impossible to think of anything save the ice piercing his veins, the screaming insecurities reverberating inside his mind, and the sudden wave of nausea rolling around his stomach.

“Uh… what?  I mean… no,” he finally managed to choke out, eyes blinking so slowly he swore he heard the mechanical thrum as they creaked down, paused, and then screeched their way back open again. 

A laugh escaped those upturned lips, and everything was back to full speed once more.  The air around him still felt unbearably thick and sticky with anxiety, but the slight panic on the other’s features seemed to placate the worst of his qualms.

“Oh my gosh, Nico, it was a joke,” Will murmured, brow creasing slightly in mild concern.  His hand reached up to graze fingers through his golden locks, humming low in his throat.  “Sorry, I forget sometimes that not everyone is accustomed to my idea of humor.  I just thought because you made a joke first, that you were, I don’t know, the same way?”

“Uh?”

Will chuckled again, blue eyes twinkling.  “I apologize if I flustered you in any way.  It wasn’t very professional of me, in hindsight.”

“Oh,” Nico mumbled quietly, the word tumbling from his lips almost instinctually.  “Oh!  N-no.  That’s okay.  I was just, yeah, a little embarrassed.”  Dark eyes flicked away, blood rushing up to flood into his cheeks.  “Sorry, sometimes I just say things without thinking them through.  I didn’t mean to be so personal.  Or, uh, crude?  I don’t always have a working filter.”

From the corner of his eye, he saw Will’s smile soften.  “Hey, that’s okay.  Now we’re even, yeah?”  Nico shot him a curious look, earning another hundred-watt beam.  “I mean, we both feel a little silly, so they cancel each other out?  It’s like it never happened.”

“That’s a funny way of thinking of it,” Nico snorted, feeling his pulse finally begin to steady.  The ends of his lips quirked upward ever so slightly, which only seemed to make Will shine even brighter.

“Great!  So, onward to the other pieces.  I haven’t really organized them in any way, other than by size, and I guess a little bit by date, since the newer ones are closer here to the front.  I really should learn how to sort things, at least by artistic style, if nothing else.  There was this one I was thinking of showing you, but I’m not exactly positive where it is…”

Will tapped a finger to his chin, narrowing his eyes slightly as he scanned the room.  The sound of him speaking quietly to himself under his breath floated past Nico’s ears, but if you asked him what it was the other was murmuring about, he couldn’t have told you. 

As it was, he was a little preoccupied watching the guy with a fondly curious kind of expression, sighing inwardly like a lovesick school girl when Will reached both arms up to lace fingers behind his head, chewing his bottom lip in deep thought, completely unaware of the sliver of tanned flesh that poked out near the waistband of his jeans as his tight black tee-shirt slipped deliciously upward.

The sound of Will’s smooth voice pulled him from silly daydreams, shaking his head to rid it of the fuzz rolling across his brain.

“Right, so I’m pretty sure it was one of the larger pieces.”

Nico surveyed the room himself, noting that the majority of things were larger pieces.  “Okay, so,” he said slowly, raising both eyebrows high on his head.  “That narrows it down some.”

Will laughed, smiling crookedly as he rubbed a hand across the back of his neck.  “Sorry, I really should have organized sooner.  Tell you what, look through whatever you want, I’ll begin my search.  Uh, if you see anything that really catches your eyes, holler about it.  You might very well find it before I do.”  Spinning on his heels, he sauntered off toward the end of the unit.

Nico hummed his agreement, picking up a smaller canvas, removing the white cloth covering.  It was nothing overly eye-catching, and he was pretty sure he’d already seen the photographic evidence of this piece inside Will’s portfolio, but he still took his time following the soft brushstrokes with his eyes, running the pad of his index finger along one particularly bright swoop of yellow amidst a sea of midnight blue.

The occasional swear word floated by from somewhere in the back, and he set the piece back down, scanning his way through the remainder of that very first stacked pile.  Of them all, his favorite was a watercolor piece that looked like a pastel rainbow winged butterfly; the softer hues and vibrant popping colors making him feel the gentle breeze that blew warm across the dew speckled grass on a brand-new spring morning.

After fifteen or so minutes, Will barked out a triumphant sounding laugh, appearing from behind a stack of larger than normal, human-sized pieces, clutching a more realistically sized canvas to his chest.  “I knew I probably put it somewhere in the back, I painted it a few years ago, but I’ve also moved spaces since then.”  Removing the cover, he presented it like a trophy of some sort.  “Voilà!”

“Is that,” Nico asked, tilting his head quite curiously.

Will nodded enthusiastically in response, lips quirked up gleefully.  “Hades, Lord of the Underworld, in his palace of glittering obsidian?  Indeed, it is.  I had a slight Greek god obsession period, so I painted all the most well-known ones.  I like this one and Apollo the best, but you look like someone who would appreciate Hades a little more than the Sun god.”

Nico hummed in amusement, cocking an eyebrow playfully.  “Is that a ‘you look like a goth kid’ joke?”

Blinking a few times, Will’s face turned slightly pink with embarrassment.  “Uh, no?  Though, now that I think about it, you do wear a lot of black.”  A sheepish grin painted his lips, shuffling about nervously on the spot.  “Sorry, I hope I didn’t offend you.  I swear my intentions were quite pure.”

Shaking his head, he chuckled beside himself.  “I’m just teasing you.  I actually was ‘that goth kid’ when I was a teenager.”

Will gasped in faux-shock, drawing a hand to his chest, blue eyes shimmering with delight.  “You?  Preposterous!  Why, you are the epitome of all things light and airy.”

“Okay, now actually I’m offended,” he hummed, unable to stop the blooming smile from tugging at his mouth.  “So offended, that I think I might have to leave now.”

“Oh no!  Whatever shall I do about this predicament?  Please, kind sir, allow me to rectify my abhorrent mistake with some manner of food-based apology.”

Biting his lower lip hard, he stifled another laugh.  “Well, if you insist.  I never say no to waffle fries and cheeseburgers.”

“Waffle fries and cheeseburgers sound perfect,” Will beamed, setting down the now forgotten piece atop a random pile of boxes, coming up to stand beside Nico with a tantalizing wave of heat.

It wasn’t until over an hour later that he realized they hadn’t done the thing they were supposed to do; though, at the same time, he couldn’t bother himself to care much.

* * *

 

They ate at a local brew pub down the road, and while the fries were steak, not waffle, the cheeseburger was delicious, and the rich and creamy oatmeal stout washed it all down with a pleasant kind of warmth.  They discussed their shared love of art, the reason for choosing it specifically as a field of work, and the paintings that inspired them the most.

Will was easy to talk with, his questions never too probing, his responses always sincere.  More often than not, his jokes left Nico wheezing and gasping for breath, never noticing the small, fond smiles the other would shoot his way as he rubbed tears of mirth from his obsidian eyes.  Will was comforting in a chaotic kind of way, with a bubbly laugh, and kind heart.

Somehow, that only made the fact he’d intruded on such private moments in the other’s life all the more damning for him, which in turn caused his anxiety to skyrocket tenfold.  There was no easy way to admit something like that, no casual way to drop a four-trillion-pound bomb right in the center of any sort of conversation.  His one good shot at admittance had already came and went, and the act of bringing it up now was just far too embarrassing.

He wanted to tell the honest-truth, but he was too selfish to do so.

Instead, he hid behind the fancy looking pint glass, taking slow sips of the tangy sweet drink; avoiding his problems like they might cease to exist, washing down the flavors of shame and regret.  By the end of his second, words flowed a little smoother, and he didn’t feel quite so panicked.

Will payed for the meal, despite Nico’s incessant protests and promises to make it up to him someday, brushing it all off with a kind smile and gentle wave of the hand.  “Nonsense, I said I’d apologize to you with food, and now I have.  If you pay me back, that negates my apology, and then I’ll have to do it all over again.  Unless you want to get stuck on an infinite loop?”

Nico worried a lip between his teeth, brow creased slightly.  “Are you certain?  Because I kind of feel like I cheated you somehow, feigning offence, and then forcing you to pay for me.”

“You can’t force the willing,” Will teased, giving him a sensual wink.

If his face wasn’t the color of wine, he would be forever surprised. 

The one other thing he'd learned about Will, aside from the fact he clearly wasn’t a struggling artist, which was of little shock based on his glaringly obvious natural talent for the subject, was that he was a shameless flirt.  Not so much in the fact that he openly flirted with just anyone, more to do with his ability to smile a certain way, and turn you into putty. 

He also had a knack for making just anything sound completely erotic, but perhaps that was a projection, on Nico’s part.  Even the words ‘you should try this beer, it’s great’ sounded a whole lot more like an innuendo than they would have coming from anyone else.  It made it difficult to remain objective and professional.  He wasn’t complaining too hard.

Will took him home, parting ways when they reached Nico’s steps.  He smiled brightly, stretching long arms up above his head, allowing a teasing peek of tanned stomach to show beneath the hem of his black shirt.  “I had a good time.  I can’t believe we didn’t go over actual business things.  That’s probably my fault, sometimes I’m a space case.”

Nico raised his hands in a placating gesture, feeling another flush rise to his cheeks.  “Ah, not at all.  It was my responsibility to keep everything on track.  At least I’ve seen your storage space, I can run some numbers, email them to you later.  If you want to set your own prices, that’s okay, too.  Just hit up the gallery address on the card I gave you, it links directly to my personal account, and no one but me checks it anyway.”

Another smile graced his lips, taking a small step backward.  “Alright, I’ll keep that in mind.  Have a good day and night, Nico.  I’ll keep in touch.”

“Thank you for lunch, I still feel bad,” he mumbled, dipping his head a little.

“Not at all, it was my pleasure,” Will purred back, biting the corner of his lip before turning around and sauntering off.

Nico had to physically force his eyes off the intoxicating swish of hips, wondering how the fuck the guy could be so enticing just by the simplest of actions.  So as not to be caught drooling, he climbed the stairs two at a time, unlocking the door quickly, before slamming it shut; leaning back against it for a moment to catch his breath.

_Lord, this man is going to be the death of me._

Kicking off the door, he placed his keys in the bowl on his breakfast nook counter, stepped over the fallen barstool, he’d pick it up later, and shuffled into his thankfully dark room, collapsing hard onto the mattress.  Having a day off had never felt so exhausting before, and he wondered briefly if Piper would allow him to come in the following morning, especially since no further plans were attempting to be avoided.

Will was great; he was funny, and cute, and kind, and attractive, and sweet, and wonderful, and so far, far, far out of Nico’s league, Nico was actually a little bit grateful.  Never standing a chance to begin with made the whole keeping things strictly professional all the easier, not that he even knew whether Will found men attractive or not. 

He seemed to check out their female waitress a few times, but maybe that was just jealousy’s ugly green head rearing up inside of himself. The poor girl took her break suspiciously fast into their meal after he'd glared her down in a not so subtle manner. Thankfully Will hadn't been looking at the moment, or he'd be dead from embarrassment.

It was hard to not want Will to only notice him, and him alone.  Definitely something he needed to work on, or things could get really awkward really quick like.

With a forlorn sigh, he pushed off the tempting bed, stumbling over to his desk to check email and wonder about what he could do work-wise from home.  There were still numbers to run, clients to call, events to think about showcasing, improvement to make.  Being forced home two days a week could actually be a little blessing in disguise; he’d never had the time to run the front and get everything done in a timely manner.

His clients were more than understanding, even happy to go along with his chaotic mess of a schedule, seeing how it was better to have a little extra wiggle room than it was to stick to strict and necessary deadlines.  Part of the reason he was so successful in the first place was he didn’t chastise anyone for anything, and was more than willing to show off subpar work just to get a little commission.

Artists appreciated his laid-back attitude; all faked hard, of course, as he was the least laid back person on the planet; and even sometimes sought him out specifically, just so he’d take their work.  It didn’t hurt that he had a knack for convincing people to buy things they didn’t need, or an eye for matching people to specific pieces to begin with.  Everyone loved art, it just depended on style and price.

The computer whirred to life, little chime informing him that it was, in fact, booting itself up.  There was no password lock on the device, it never left his desk, and there was nothing of importance stored on the thing to begin with.  No pictures, no files, no specialized background or lock screen; nothing but a little icon for surfing the web, and an app to check his email with.

Technology was a wonderful thing, allowing files to be stored in a database somewhere, and accessed from any place with the click of a button.  Saving over a cloud was easier than backing up all the important company documents, and kept his desktop free of clutter, not to mention spared him a bigger headache.

The notification window had a little bubble with an eleven inside, the email app boasting fifteen new messages.  He quickly flagged the uncaught spam, deleted the useless chain emails he didn’t care enough about taking the time to unsubscribe from to prevent them further, and found himself with a whopping two actual messages left.

One was a quick forward from his dad, which he ignored for the moment, wondering why he agreed to divulge his email in the first place; and the other was from someone called Solartist90@artmail.art.  It wasn’t a familiar address, but new or potential clients got ahold of him all the time, and the subject matter said ‘Talking art,’ so he assumed it was okay.

_Hey, Nico!_  
_Will here, just making sure you know what my email is so we can begin going over numbers._  
_I had a great time today, we should do it again soon._  
_I’m free next Saturday if you’re interested.  Let me know, okay?_  
_Will_

He read it over at least six times, feeling his mouth go dry, and his heart pick up speed.  Of course, he was just being friendly, but did he have to be so endearing that he caused Nico to have a heart attack and die from it?  Obviously, that was an over exaggeration on his part, but he couldn’t help but feel it held some small semblance of truth.  Will Solace was definitely going to be the absolute end of him.

Curiosity got the best of him, and he slunk over to the window, cracking the thick red curtains just a hair in the hopes Will was somewhere on the other side.  It must have been his lucky day, because there he was, thankfully clothed this time, sitting on a little stool, painting on a canvas that was barely noticeable from the position he was in.

The paintbrush in his right hand swirled into a little tray, coming up a midnight blue, before it disappeared from sight once more, stroking along in what he assumed were sweeping motions.

Nico’s mind wandered as he watched the man through the window, wondering if it was still impolite to stare, lack of nudity aside, but also too transfixed to leave and return to his computer screen, responding with a quick 'you bet your sweet ass I'm interested' to the email floating lightly through his brain. He'd never in a million years actually say that, but it was the truth.

It was because of that he didn’t hear the sound of the door closing in the living room, nor did he hear the quiet hum of voice gently calling out his name.  It wasn’t until he heard the scandalized gasp from his doorway that he shot away from the scene of the crime, clutching his chest to soothe the frantic fluttering of his heart, eyes wide with shock.

Hazel pursed her lips, crossing arms over her chest in a reprimanding manner.  “Piper said you finally got weekends off, and I was already two blocks away, so I didn’t think to call you first in warning.  Not that I would have reached you, I see you have a little hobby I was unaware of.  Explain yourself.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Success!  
> Even if it was horrible, I am so pleased with myself for updating two things in one day.  
> Huzzah! I am breaking from my horrible procrastination!
> 
> What, you expected Will to just find out like that that Nico was peeking?  
> Hell no, this boy has not had enough anxiety for me to feel satisfied.  
> Hopefully that is a-okay with everyone, because it'll be slow torture before I'm done with him. :)
> 
> Comments are like coffee. Can never have too much, and even when they're weak, they're still energizing as all hell!  
> So hit me up, chat me up, and keep these chapters coming!


	5. Why does this have to be my life?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's like I've developed a weekly updating system.  
> I haven't, but it's almost like I have. :)

“I… uh… what?  I wasn’t… I mean… I don’t… He isn’t naked!”  The words left his lips in a panicked cry, and the second they were out, he wondered what it would take to stuff them back inside again, effectively eating the evidence before they could float to his sister’s ears.

Hazel’s eyes widened in utter shock, hand flying up to cover her mouth in a silent gasp.  “Nico,” she exhaled, sounding more than completely scandalized.  “Are you peeping at a naked man right now?  Is this how you’ve chosen to spend your free time?  Like some… pervert?”

Nico’s mouth opened and closed a whole lot, like a stupid fish or something, trying to form any kind of coherent sentence to rectify his horrible mistake.  “No!  I said he wasn’t naked!”

Golden eyes rolled in disbelief, stomping over to the curtains to throw them open and see.  “Well, then you won’t mind if I… oh my good lord, Nico, he’s a babe.  You live across from a god.  And he paints?  He’s an artist?”  She turned to him with an excited look on her face, eyebrows shot so high atop her forehead it was almost comical.  “Is he single?  Is he _gay?_ ”

Nico spluttered indignantly in response, blinking fast and waving his arms wildly about.  “Hazel!  What happened to reprimanding me for being a pervert?  Now you want me to _date_ him?”

She waved her hand dismissively in his face, and he wondered for a moment if it was a bad idea to have introduced her to Piper all those years ago.  “Please, oh brother of mine.  I was only offended when I thought you were actually a peeping Tom.  Now I understand perfectly well why you couldn’t help but gawk at that chiseled physique.  I mean, is it legal to be that obnoxiously attractive?”

“You are utterly shameless,” he huffed, crossing arms over his chest.  “I thought my little baby sister had a little class, now I’ve come to find she’s filled with lustful thoughts and impure intent.  What would father say?”

Hazel snorted in response.  “He’d say, good luck son, stop being a pussy and ask that homo out.  Or, something like that.”

Nico laughed, despite the awkward feeling still clinging to him.  “Actually, you’re probably right about that.  He never did know how to deal with all of this gay.”  In a sweeping gesture, he indicated his entire person.

“So?  Is he?  What’s the story?”  A groan escaped her lips, and she buried her face in her hands.  “Don’t tell me you’ve never even tried to communicate with him?  I bet that’s it, this is _you_ we’re speaking about.  Your idea of flirting is avoiding someone like the plague, as if they’ll somehow pick up on your intentions when they think you hate them.”

Nico scoffed, though he couldn’t deny she was right once more.  “I’ll have you know, his name is Will, we had lunch today, and he’s a new client that paints images like Beethoven played the piano.  So, yeah, I’m not avoiding him.”

“So, he is gay, then?”

“Uh,” Nico drew out the word, wracking his brain for an excuse that didn’t sound utterly lame.  The truth was the only thing that came to mind, so he decided to just admit it.  “I don’t… exactly know what he is.  I think he was checking out a woman?  How does one know for certain?”

Hazel rolled her eyes.  “Never mind, forget I asked.  He could ask you out on a thousand dates, and you’d still find an excuse as to why he wasn’t interested in you.  You’re hopeless Nico, admit it.”

“Why does everyone keep saying that,” he muttered under his breath, earning a disbelieving look from his sister.

“Maybe because it’s the truth,” she asked, cocking an eyebrow pointedly.  “He could kiss you open-mouthed, and you’d say he was just exploring what it was like to kiss a man for once.  Even if he just kissed one right in front of you beforehand.  Honestly, Nico, you are the worst when it comes to admitting your own self-worth.”

Hazel had once again hit the nail right on the head, but he wasn’t about to admit everything without a fight.  “Please, I’m not that dense.  Just because I try and remain logical and realistic doesn’t mean I can’t tell when someone is trying to pick me up.”  Arms crossed over his chest and he huffed childishly.

“What about Mark,” she said, placing hands on her hips, refusing to back down.  “Or Josh?  There was also that barista that wrote his number down on your cup, and you let it go like it wasn’t a glaringly obvious sign.  Did you ever even text him once?”

Nico hadn’t, but he also wasn’t looking for anything at the time.  Not that he was currently, either, but he felt the need to defend himself further.  “That guy put his number down after I told him the paint splatters on my clothes were because I owned a gallery.  He wanted to be a potential client, not date me.  Sheesh.”

“And the other two?  Mark literally said do you want to go out with me, and what did you say?”  She waited with an impatient look on her face, as if she didn’t already know the answer or bring it up every time Nico even looked too long at another guy.  He should never have told her the story to begin with.

Raking a hand down his face, he admitted defeat.  There was no point denying that mistake.  “I said… no thanks, it’s blizzarding out, and I don’t have my heavy jacket.”  Her face shone with triumph.  “But that was because he was just talking to Susan about how he was about to go get lunch, and I really thought he meant right that second.”

“And did it cross your mind he meant in a romantic way,” she coaxed, looking positively gleeful.

Nico pouted.  “No.  I didn’t catch that he liked me that way.  But that was six years ago, Hazel.  And this is completely different.  There were no indications whatsoever because he clearly doesn’t see me as anything but a business partner.  I promise.”

Heaving a sigh, she waved another dismissive hand at him.  “Whatever you say, Nico.  I still think you’re silly, but I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to.  Who knows, perhaps one day you’ll find someone willing to pursue you until you finally cave.  Wouldn’t that just be a match made in heaven.”  She smiled sincerely before a pensive look overtook her features.  “I originally came over to see if you wanted food, but it seems like you’ve already eaten.”

“I can go with you if you’d like.  I’m basically free thanks to Piper being a meddlesome shit and forcing me to take days off.  I mean, I guess I have things that need doing, but the point was for me to not worry about work for a minute.”

Hazel beamed at him.  “I’m so proud of you.  You’re learning how to compartmentalize work and free time.  Soon you’ll have your social life back, and then I can stop worrying about you dying hopelessly alone.”

Nico snorted in response.  “Yeah, sure.  Because I really have people to socialize with.  Outside of work and you, dear sister.”

“There’s your hot neighbor,” she singsonged, wriggling her eyebrows at him.  “Even if he is straight, everyone could stand to have a little eye candy in their life.”

“What would Frank think if he heard you saying that right now,” Nico scolded, and she laughed.

“I’m pretty sure Frank is quite aware of my wicked brain and deranged thoughts,” she teased.  “Besides, Frank is plenty enough eye candy for me.”

He shot her an incredulous look, cocking an eyebrow.  “Frank looks like he’s twelve.”

“You haven’t seen him with his shirt off,” she murmured, fanning her face as her eyes took on a glassy quality.

Nico plugged his ears.  “Okay, ew, I don’t want to think about why Frank takes his shirt off around you, Hazel.  You’re still a little thirteen-year-old girl in my mind, which means you’re a virgin and pure and innocent.  Let’s keep it that way.”

The laugh that bubbled in her throat was more of a cackle than it should have been for someone so sweet and caring.  He rolled his eyes at her childlike delight, waiting with arms crossed over his chest until she finally composed herself.

“Sorry, it was just too good of an opportunity to pass up,” she grinned wickedly at his sour expression.  “Well, come on, then.  There is this new deli I wanted to try out within walking distance from here.  I figure a nice day like today deserves a good walk.”

“Alright, sounds good to me,” he agreed.  Anything to get away from the temptation to continue stalking Will.

Before heading out the door, Nico picked up his fallen bar stool and put it back in its proper place.  Hazel gave him a curious look, but he shook his head, unwilling to admit he was so nervous that morning he actually sat there and watched the thing while he waited for Will to arrive.  If the girl knew that, she’d never let him get away with pretending he wasn’t interested.

Of course, he was, but no one else needed to know that.  It didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, so why worry about his silly little sort of feelings?  They’d fade at some point, especially once Will made it perfectly clear he was only interested in women.  All the pretty ones usually were.

At the bottom of the stairs, he froze, watching the object of his not-affection sauntering up with a bag of some sort in his hand.  Eyes locked onto him, and he knew it was too late to hide and avoid the awkward confrontation he felt was about to happen.  Especially when Hazel stepped up behind him, stopping mid-question to gawk as Will made a beeline straight for them.

_Oh great, now Hazel is going to try to interfere.  Why is this actually my life?_

“Hey, Nico,” Will murmured, smiling that obnoxiously sunny smile that made butterflies dance around his stomach.  “Fancy meeting you here.”

“Hello, I’m Nico’s sister, Hazel.  Are you my brother’s friend?”  She sidestepped around him then, offering out her hand by way of greeting.

Nico groaned internally as Will returned the gesture happily.

“Hello Hazel, I’m Will.  I guess you could say that, though I’m more of an acquaintance, for the time being, as well as a neighbor and new client.  Still, there’s always hope to be more, right?”  Will winked at him playfully, and If his face wasn’t bright red because of it, he’d be utterly astonished.

Hazel only beamed all the harder.  “Oh!  Well, then you should come join us.  We’re going to walk down to the deli that just opened, and I know Nico already ate, but they serve drinks, too.  I think they’re like a beach bar kind of place, sounds interesting.”

Blue eyes slipped back Nico’s direction, looking almost regretful as Will worried a lip between his teeth.  “That does sound fun, but I kind of need to get back to work.  I’m so busy after the new move that I’ve found very little time to paint, so I should probably jump at the opportunity while I’m free.  Next time, for sure, though.  My schedule won’t be so hectic by the end of the week.”

Hazel nodded.  “Alright, I’ll have Nico invite you next time I stop by, then,” she promised.

Will laughed, the sound smooth and sweet.  “I look forward to it,” he smiled softly before taking a slow step backward.  “So, I’ll see you around then, Nico.  It was nice to meet you, Hazel.”

“Likewise,” she chirped.

With a small wave, Will walked away.

It took him a moment to realize he hadn’t even joined in on the conversation, but by then, Hazel was already giving him a smug look of satisfaction.  Rolling his eyes, he tried to avoid the topic he knew she was itching to bring up, hoping a distraction would work instead.

Glancing around, he looked up into the cloudless blue sky.  “Wow, it really is a nice day out today.  Good call on walking, it’s so sunny and warm.”

“Nico,” she called, drawing out his name in an annoyingly pleased sounding fashion.

He chose to ignore it, feigning interest in pulling little bits of fluff from his old cotton shirt.  “So, I didn’t know where we were going served drinks.  That’s an interesting combination, sandwiches and beer.”

“Nico,” she repeated, a little more sternly this time.

Giving up, he started walking toward the main street, as if it might somehow help in his avoidance to walk away from the place everything had transpired.  “Though, if I really think about it, it makes sense.  The two go well together, depending on the sandwich.  I’ll have to check it out again sometime if you think it’s good.”

“Nico,” she huffed, stomping her foot down so hard the slapping sound echoed around them.

Grimacing, he finally turned to glance her way.

Hands on hips, brow furrowed, she clenched her jaw in frustration.  “Do not ignore me, it’s impolite and unbecoming.”

“Sorry, sis,” he mumbled under his breath, shuffling feet around nervously.

Hazel’s demeanor returned to one of cheeky delight.  “I think he likes you, did you hear his little flirty comment about hoping to be more than acquaintances?”

Groaning, Nico covered his face with both hands.  “I really do not want to discuss this right now, Hazel.  Please, can we just go get food before I regret leaving the house even more?”

“Fine, fine,” she conceded with a soft sigh.  “But I want you to promise me you’ll at least be open to the idea, and that you won’t run away anytime he shows a little interest.”

“If I promise, will you refrain from bringing it up again?”

Her golden eyes flashed with mischief.  “Okay, I won’t bring it up again.”

Nico suddenly regretted not wording things better.  “Fine, I won’t run off _if_ , and that’s a big if Hazel, don’t you give me that snarky little attitude.”  Hazel smiled sweeter than honey, but he didn’t buy it for a single second.  The girl was pure evil when she wanted to be.  “If he magically shows interest.  Which he won’t, because look at him, and then look at me.  It’s obvious someone like that is interested in model-like perfection.”

Hazel grabbed him by arm and pulled him down the sidewalk, effectively ending the conversation there.  “So, I was thinking if you have weekends off from now on, maybe we can make this a bi-monthly occurrence?  I’d like to do it more often, but classes being what they are, I don’t always have free time.  We don’t hang out enough anymore, and you know I can’t disturb you at work without feeling like a complete jerk, so I’m glad you’re available now.”

She continued her happy chatter the entire way, leaving very little room for Nico to question her sudden overly excited mood.  In the end, he really didn’t want to know whatever it was she clearly had planned for him.  It would be better for his health if he didn’t dwell on it too hard.

* * *

 

The next morning was pure torture.  Staying home the whole day because he had an obligation to one person, then got dragged out of his home by another, was one thing.  Staying home with nothing to do but stare at the wall, make a few phone calls, and wonder why this was supposed to be beneficial for him, was something entirely different.

By noon it was already wearing him down, so much so that he put on his shoes and circled the entire apartment complex two full times before wandering his way back to the gallery.  Was it a little embarrassing he was so pitiful that he couldn’t enjoy his days off all alone?  Yes.  Was he going to admit that to anyone should they ask him?  Yeah, right.  He’d rather admit his kind of steadily turning into a crush to the object of his totally mostly platonic feelings.

Piper gave him a terrible scowling look the moment he walked through the glass door, but he ignored her pointedly, seeing as how he had every right to visit his business should he decide to.  There was no ulterior motive this time around, so she couldn’t really force him out.

“What do you think you’re doing in here on your day off, Nico?”  Crossing arms over her chest, she looked every bit as displeased as her tone implied.

Nico returned the look easily.  “I never agreed to this time off, to begin with, Piper.  Thank you for your concern, but I am quite capable of making my own decisions.  I choose to be here, where there is more work to be done than people to do it, and you can’t stop me.”

A mop of fiery red and messy curls poked out from the hallway.  “Heya, Nico.  I heard you went on a date yesterday with a real dream boat.  How was it?”

“Hey Rachel,” he mumbled, giving Piper one last withering look before turning his attention to the other girl.  “It wasn’t a date, it was a business thing with a new client.”

“Was there food involved,” she asked curiously, shooting a look at the other girl, who merely shrugged in response.

Nico was reluctant to admit there was, knowing all too well he was setting the conversation up for failure.  Sighing, he gave a stiff nod.  “But only a quick bite, and then straight home.  It wasn’t even supposed to happen at all, Will just offered and I couldn’t refuse without feeling rude.”

Green eyes lit up brightly at the sound of the name.  “You don’t mean Will Solace, by any chance, do you?”

“You know him,” Piper asked, voice dripping with barely veiled excitement.  The girl was positively ready to burst.

“Who doesn’t,” Rachel chirped back, leaning against the wall in her paint-splattered overalls, crossing arms loosely over her chest.  “Great painter, really nice, super dreamy.  Good job, Nico.  He’s a real catch, that one.”

Piper squealed in delight.  “See, Nico!  I told you!”

He had to roll his eyes at that comment, as if he didn’t already know how great Will was.  That was the biggest problem, he was too perfect, and too hard not to fall for, which would be a terrible mistake.  “Please, Piper.  You don’t even know if he’s interested in men.  He checked out our female waitress.”

“Will is bi,” Rachel helpfully pointed out, smiling brightly.

“I knew it,” Piper whooped at the same time Nico asked, “He is?”

Rachel nodded.  “Yeah, though I think he might be more pansexual than bisexual.  He doesn’t date really, not from what I know, but he has openly flirted with and gone out with both genders, at least on casual style dates.”

“How do you know,” Nico voiced his skepticism aloud.

The redhead shrugged.  “He taught a beginner’s class at the college a few years back.  I was his aid at the time, and we sometimes went out to get drinks after stressful weeks.  Nothing like, involved, or whatever.  He’s cute, but he’s not my type.”

Nico and Piper shared a look, the words _Percy Jackson_ floating silently through the air.  It was funny that he had said almost the exact same thing to the guy back when they were still in high school.  Piper knew that, of course, the same way everyone knew Rachel used to harbor a huge crush on the dude until he married his high school sweetheart, Annabeth.

After a beat of awkward silence, the girl continued, shuffling her feet.  “We’ve kind of kept in touch since, though not really.  I heard he moved recently.”

“Yeah, across from Nico,” Piper grinned, eyes twinkling as she set up the story to drop the nude bomb.  Nico silenced her with a withering look.

Rachel hummed in surprise.  “Wow, hot new client, hot new neighbor, and he asked you out on the sly.  You go, Nico.”

“I didn’t… he didn’t… It isn’t like that,” he defended weakly.

“We’ll see,” they chorused, earning a huff in response.

Snapping her fingers, Piper grabbed his attention with a look of surprise.  “Oh yeah, Rach, tell Nico what we talked about yesterday.  I bet he’ll be interested.”

Rachel clapped her hands together happily.  “So, the gallery I sometimes sell pieces to often holds a monthly gala to display specific artists and pull in rich buyers and even new clientele.”

Piper nodded enthusiastically.  “Yeah, and yesterday we ran all the numbers.”

“Just, you know, for fun,” Rachel continued with a smile.

“And it really wouldn’t be all that hard to pull off,” Piper finished.

The two girls looked at him expectantly.

“Okay,” he said slowly, skipping his vision back and forth between the two.  “That’s nice and all, but why do you think I’ll be interested?  I hate formal occasions.”

Rachel waved her hand dismissively, which was probably another Piper quality that she rubbed off on far too many people.

“Gala is just a fancy word for it.  Honestly, the kind I’ve been to that really draw in the crowds are open to the public.  You sell admission for dirt cheap, offer free wine and h’orderves, and then slightly intoxicated attendees buy your art.  It’s actually pretty genius because people feel almost obligated once they’re there.  Even if you don’t sell anything, usually the admission pays for the whole night, and people always come back if they’ve really enjoyed themselves.”

“So, what do you say,” Piper asked, looking genuinely hopeful.

Nico cocked an eyebrow in question.  “Why do you want me to do this so badly?”

“Because, Nico.  Your success is my success.”  He deadpanned in response, so she sighed dramatically, twirling a lock of hair around her finger.  “I was thinking you could do a person specific gala event, with Will as the subject.”

“That’s a great idea,” Rachel cried, nodding in agreement.  “He’s so versatile, no one would question it.  Plus, you’d help him out a whole bunch if a lot of work sold at once.  Which really helps you out, too.”

Piper beamed.  “See, I have good ideas.  You help him out, and then he asks you out.  Although, it sounds like he already did that,” she smirked, giving him a playful wink.

Nico frowned.  “I regret letting you two get together to plot things,” he muttered.

“So, you’ll do it,” Piper asked hopefully, holding her hands together in front of her face like she was praying for the answer to be positive.

Letting out a long sigh, he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.  “Only if Will agrees to it, too.”

As the two girls squealed in delight, chattering on about all the little details and how to take care of them, a part of Nico really hoped Will would turn him down.  It wasn’t likely, given that it was free publicity, but he still crossed his fingers that it would prove to be too much of a hassle on such short notice.

_What have I gotten myself into now?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I don't even think I know what I'm doing with this like 99% of the time.  
> I'm just kind of putting things in there that might be interesting.  
> Or not. Only time will tell!
> 
> Hooray for long brother/sister moments?  
> The supportive sister tag finally comes into play.  
> Poor Nico.
> 
> Comments are the thing that keeps me writing, if it weren't for the encouragement, I'd probably just let all of my works fizzle out silently. :D  
> I'm sleep deprived, and it's all my own fault, so if I crashed and burned with this part, whoops. :3


	6. Why did he have to ask that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry sorry sorry for the long wait!  
> I am still fighting writer's block.  
> And I'm in the middle of moving.

Nico stared at the blank email, wondering how to convey the message he wanted to send.  Piper had been insistent that he ask Will right away if he was interested in the gala, and with Hazel’s interruption the previous afternoon, he’d completely forgotten Will had already emailed him first about meeting up again soon.  Now he was two times the level of anxious, with a predicament that seemed to be growing in intensity by the second.

Should he reply to the email first, waiting to ask about the gala?  Or should he ignore the email and focus solely on the gala for the moment, pretending as if that satisfied both answers?  Or should he try to kill two birds with one stone, and how was he ever going to make it sound casual yet professional?

Heaving a sigh, he fell back against the swivel chair, spinning from side to side as his brain overthought anything and everything it could manage to.  The ping of a newly received email coming through had him glancing sidelong at the screen, a slight frown creasing his brow as he caught sight of the sender’s name.  It was another new one from Will, only the subject line was a reply to something he’d never sent.

A flurry of emotions assaulted him all at once as he scanned the content, slipping from surprise to annoyance to dread, finally landing somewhere happily in the middle of all three.  Piper beat him to the punch, no doubt foreseeing his inability to push himself to initiate anything himself.  And she’d sent it from his work email, under the guise that he had written it.  The girl was a monster, but she knew what she was doing, from the look of things.

It was perhaps by sheer luck that she hadn’t noticed the first email sitting read but void of response a little way down on the list.  She’d managed to make it sound like it was their first initial contact via email, so that took care of some of his predicament, and he could feign ignorance later if questioned about it.

If Piper had known Will was inviting the two of them to see one another more, she would have taken it the wrong way.  Hell, he almost found himself taking it the wrong way; until he remembered that this gorgeous god of a man was nice to everyone he came into contact with, and also that he was supposed to be helping Will out for slightly less selfish reasons than drooling over him from afar.  It put everything into perspective once more.

Now the only issue he faced was that Will seemed determined to get the two of them together sometime soon, which was less an issue and more an anxiety attack waiting to happen.  He reminded himself, for probably the fifth time that thought process, that they needed to in order to plan things out for the upcoming gala at the end of the month.  He couldn’t very well avoid the guy forever, especially when they lived so close to one another.

Eyes trailed the familiar path to the closed curtains, wondering briefly if the other was still somewhere within sight.  It was still early, not even eleven PM, and he knew Will had been up to respond to the email a few minutes prior, so he was probably still up at that moment.  Would he be standing by the window, pacing around his bedroom, painting a little more; or was he simply waiting for Nico to respond back?  All it would take is one small look, his curiosity could be satisfied in an instant.

When the pull became too strong to check, he closed the laptop, flicking off the light switch and hiding beneath the safety of blankets like some small child afraid of the boogie man.  In truth, he was afraid of himself.

* * *

As fate would have it, though he would have sworn it was more akin to bad luck or misfortune, avoiding Will was next to impossible.  If he wasn’t running into him on his early morning jogs around the building, he was at the coffee shop down the block ordering a triple Americano, or returning home from someplace at the exact same time Nico was getting off work.  That Thursday morning was no different.

“Hey, Nico.”

He heard the chipper sounding voice from somewhere behind as it washed over him softly, shoulders stiffening slightly as he glanced back at the bronze skinned face smiling warmly at him, just like it always did.  A small sigh escaped his mouth before he could stop it, turning slowly to accept his fate.  “Hey Will, long time no see,” he managed with a timid smile, nowhere close to the sunshine brightness Will seemed to muster.

If anything, it made the guy glow even more.  Stuffing hands into his cargo short pockets, a gentle rumbling laugh echoed up from his throat.  It wasn’t even that funny, but Will always laughed at his poor and failed attempts at joking.  “Indeed.  I was actually hoping to catch you before work, though, so this time was a little more planned than usual.  You kind of have a routine going, in case you didn’t notice.”

The fact that Will paid enough attention to notice his schedule sent butterflies barraging around his stomach.  Swallowing hard, he nodded.  “Yeah, I find it’s easier to stay organized if you just follow a pattern for most things.  So, what’s up?”

Running a hand along the back of his neck, he shuffled his weight from foot to foot.  “I’ve been thinking a lot about the gala thing, but I wasn’t really sure which pieces to show off, or if I should create some new ones specifically for the event. I figured maybe you could be of some insight?”

Nico hummed in contemplation.  “You could do some of both, just to show off your varying styles.  Our floor can hold around forty pieces without looking overly cramped, so you definitely have options.”

Chewing his lip, Will nodded.  “I know, and I think that’s where I’m stuck.  Picking out which ones I like best has never been my strong suit.  I’ve always been better at following directions than I am at making hard decisions for myself.  If you asked me for one singular piece, I could give that easily.  Choosing more just complicates everything.”

“Which piece would you choose if you could only pick one,” he wondered aloud, not really meaning to vocalize his thoughts.  He’d seen a bunch of them in photos, and quite a few in person, but picking one as a favorite was tough with so many styles and variations.  Suddenly, Will’s predicament didn’t seem so out of the ordinary; it actually made perfect sense.

A smile curled the other’s lips before he noticed his mistake.  “That’s easy,” Will murmured, blue eyes shining brightly.  “I’ve been working on one for a while now, and I think it’s the perfect work for something like that.”

Nico’s eyebrows rose high in surprise.  “And it’s that good that you think it can be a single representation of your art?”

“Oh, most definitely,” Will’s smile grew even brighter.  “It’s one of those things where you can just tell.”

“Then you should make it your centerpiece,” Nico suggested offhandedly, mind going a mile a minute as he coordinated everything in his thoughts.  “Find other works that’ll either contrast it entirely so it stands out in comparison or compliments it enough to lead up to this singular art.  What is the painting of, anyway?”

“That’s a surprise until the event,” he winked, putting a finger to his lips.  “But, I can tell you it’s an impressionist piece if that helps any.  There are a few different things I’m working on all at once, so I’m sure a couple of those could be beneficial.  I’ll keep it in mind, though.”

Nodding, Nico took a step back, feeling the conversation coming to a natural close.  “Well, I should get to work.  Let me know if you want any assistance, I’ll see what I can do to help you get sorted.”

Before he could fully turn to leave, Will caught his shirt sleeve, drawing him closer.  “Actually, if you’re free Saturday, perhaps I can show you some of the new works?  I’ll make you dinner, for your troubles.”  His eyes fluttered down as he spoke, a gentle pink flush steadily painting his face.  When Nico was silent for too long, his gaze shot back up searchingly.  Dropping his hold, he took a hesitant step away.  “Ah, sorry.  I’m not good with personal space.”

The bit of distance broke the strange spell Nico found himself under, reality slowly trickling back in.  “Oh, no.  That’s okay.  Uh.  Sure?  I mean, I’d love to help.”  He chuckled halfheartedly, silently kicking himself for being so awkward all the time.

If Will noticed, he didn’t say anything, lip disappearing between his teeth as he smiled softly in response.  “Alright, I’ll see you around, then.  If I don’t see you before, how does six o clock on Saturday sound?  Just swing by, you know where to find me.”

“R-right.  Six sounds great,” he mumbled, watching the other walk slowly backward.

“See you, Nico,” he waved, then spun around and walked away.

“See you, Will,” Nico called quietly after him, unsure if the words ever reached his ears.

With a deep breath, he decided to face the rest of the afternoon head-on.

* * *

“So, it’s a date then,” Piper grinned, wiggling her eyebrows at him suggestively.  For some reason, unknown to him, it had sounded like a good idea to give in to her barrage of questions as to why he was in a slight daze for most of the morning.  In hindsight, it probably wasn’t his brightest idea ever. Telling the girl anything rarely ever was.

Raking a hand down his face, he released another exasperated sigh.  “No, Piper.  It’s a work thing.  That’s all.”

“But, he’s cooking dinner for you,” she pointed out, once again the ever helpful annoyance. The quirk of her brow said she wasn't going to back down anytime soon.

“Yes,” he stated slowly, as if slowing down the words would help her to grasp them better.  It never did, she would always think exactly whatever she chose to, and nothing else.  “But if you came over to my house and I made you dinner, it wouldn’t be called a date. Friends and colleagues can be around one another without things needing to be romantic or involved.”

“Sounds like a date,” Rachel called from the back room, butting in like she hadn’t been the culprit of eavesdropping.  Her fiery mop poked around the corner, green eyes twinkling as she copied Piper’s eyebrow waggling look with perfect replication.

“For the tenth time, it isn’t!  A date is something you do out, and usually after making it blatantly obvious that that is what it is.  You say ‘hey, would you like to go out with me’ or ‘would you like to go on a date,’ so there is no confusion about what is happening.  A work thing is a work thing, no matter the place it happens.”

“Geez, is he always this bad,” Rachel asked, giving Piper a pitying look.

The other girl snorted in response, leaning back against the counter with a soft smirk.  “Actually, he’s better than he was a few years ago.  At least his crazy ideas hold a little logic now.  There used to be no convincing him that anyone could possibly like him in that manner.”

Rachel shook her head and sighed.  “I don’t envy you in the least.”

“Will you two please stop talking about me like I’m not standing right here,” he huffed, crossing arms over his chest.  “Don’t you have better things you could be doing right now, Piper?  And you, Rachel, don’t make me revoke your weekday painting privileges.”

Both girls mimed zipping up their mouths, sharing an amused look before they sauntered off in opposite directions.

Another sigh escaped his lips, fingers coming up to rub small circles into his throbbing temples.  The people in his life were going to drive him to drink if they didn’t stop putting him on edge all of the time.  They meant well, sure, but the addition to his anxiety problem was stressing him out something terrible.

It was safest to think of things the way he did.  The last time he'd read too far into someone’s kindness, he found himself in a world of unrequited hurt.  Will was being friendly, and that was that.  Besides, someone amazing like Will could never look at someone bland like Nico and ever see anything more than a hopeless failure.  He wasn’t worth anything when it came down to it, not really.

By the time he made it back home later that evening, his emotions were completely shot.  Piper had continued to shoot him pointed looks throughout the day but refrained from further confrontation, which was a blessing in and of itself.  His aura was probably radiating thick waves of darkness at anyone who approached, but he didn’t mind.  A little quiet alone time to get real work done was always preferable to incessant chit-chat.

Much like he did on most early nights off of work, he sat down at his desk and checked his overly full yet utterly empty email, deleting all the junk that made its way through his shitty spam filter.  It didn't come as too much of a surprise that Will had already emailed him once again, though upon noticing the subject line, his heart plummeted into his stomach.

_About Saturday Night_

The title didn’t necessarily mean that Will was canceling on him.  He didn’t know why he’d care if that were the case, seeing as how it was just a work thing, to begin with, but he still found himself hesitant to open it.  He could ignore it, sure, just turn in for the night and pretend he hadn’t seen anything yet.  This could probably go on straight through to Saturday, ignoring awkward situations was kind of his forte.

In the end, it wouldn’t change the outcome, and he’d look and feel like a fool getting shot down in person, so he swallowed his pride along with his fears and went for it.

 _Hey Nico,_  
_It just occurred to me that I invited you over, but never asked what it was you’d like me to make for dinner.  I can do anything that has a recipe somewhere on the internet, so the sky is pretty much the limit.  I feel it’s only polite to make something you’ll enjoy if I’m forcing you to help me out with this.  Let me know before tomorrow night, I’ll pick up the necessary ingredients when I get the chance to run to the store.  I am also not opposed to takeout, but that wasn’t part of the initial deal, so no exceptions.  Don’t worry, I have yet to poison anyone with my cooking.  That was a joke._  
_Will_

A smile curled his lips involuntarily, gazing once more at the maroon-red curtains curiously.  The email had only been sent a half hour prior, so there was still a chance the other was awake.  Instead of giving in to his twisted fascination, he opted for the healthy approach, clicking on the little reply box.

 _Will,_  
_I eat almost anything, so long as it doesn’t have too many mushrooms.  That is seriously my only food aversion, so whatever you’d feel most comfortable making is fine with me.  Surprise me if you'd like?  Just don’t go all out on my account, I’m really not hard to please.  I fail at boiling water properly, so any level of cooking skill is impressive in my book.  Sorry to put you out like this, I don't mind if you decide not to cook anything._  
_Nico_

He read the message over and over again, wondering if anything should be retracted or changed.  On a whim, he pressed the little blue send button, worrying a lip between his teeth as he watched it change from pending to delivered.  Of course, he was overthinking again, but that didn’t stop the anxiousness from twisting around his insides.  Perhaps he should have held off on a response until he was of sound mind, allowing a night's sleep to clear his head?

Before he could slip from the chair to hide away under the blankets, a little ping sounded the delivery of a new message.  On the offhand chance it might be Will, he decided to check it.

 _Well, it’s a good thing I asked because I was originally going to make mushroom burgers with a side of mushroom surprise.  Now I know, mushrooms are not the best choice in appealing cuisine._  
_Actually, I dislike them, as well.  They taste like feet.  Is that really all you don’t like when it comes to edible substances?  There isn’t some other food item I might accidentally attempt to feed you?  I’d hate to find out later and feel bad._  
_Will_

Rolling his eyes good-naturedly, his fingers began to type up their reply.

 _I promise.  The only thing in this world that I’ve consumed and decided I didn’t like was a mushroom.  I haven’t tried everything out there, but I enjoy most things, and you could probably even hide mushrooms in something and I’d eat it just fine.  I just prefer not to eat them raw or standalone._  
_Nico_

It occurred to him briefly that the hour was drawing later with each newly sent message, but he watched the inbox for a few more minutes anyway, too afraid to leave and miss the opportunity to talk longer to head off to bed.  After three minutes longer, the little ping sound had him smiling once more.

 _Raw mushrooms are like slow torture.  Who was the crazy person to see them growing and decide they were safe for consumption?_  
_Well, now that I know I can make anything I want, the choices are limitless._  
_Are you certain you don’t have any requests?  I’m quite flexible._  
_Will_

Nico scoffed.

 _I have no doubt about that, but as I said before, I’m easy to please.  Whatever is fine with you is fine with me.  I did pick last time, after all._  
_Nico_  
  
The response was almost instant.

 _Hm.  This is harder than I thought._  
_Will_  
  
_Perhaps you should sleep on it?_  
_Nico_  
  
_I’m really bad with making decisions if you can’t tell._  
_Will_

 _So I’ve noticed._  
_Nico_

 _You are absolutely no help whatsoever, di Angelo._  
_Will_

This time he smirked as he responded, chuckling to himself all the while.

 _There is always the option of takeout.  Saves you the headache, and we can both get whatever we want._  
_Nico_

 _Gasp!  I take that back, you’re simply evil.  I will not bend to your wicked, albeit tempting ways.  I will come up with the perfect plan… eventually._  
_Will_

 _I'll see you on Saturday, then, Solace._  
_Nico_

 _Unless you see me sooner, di Angelo.  Pleasant dreams._  
_Will._

He resisted the urge to reply once more, knowing good and well the conversation would probably last half the night if he let it.  It was easier to be the one who left first than to be the one who sat back waiting for a reply that would never come.

Kicking off his shoes and pants, he pulled off his shirt to add it to the small pile before falling down onto the mattress, allowing sleep to claim him quietly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was convinced to make Saturday one chapter by itself.  
> I wanted to add it to this one, but it's probably for the best.  
> My chatter does get out of hand, so it would no doubt end up being a huge chapter if I didn't control myself. ^^
> 
> I'm still sorry for the wait, and I can't make promises there won't be one for the next chapter.  
> I still have very little time to write, and lack of focus to get things written.  
> It's driving me crazy.
> 
> Your lovely comments do help, I'm always glad to know these chapters are enjoyed and that more are wanted. ^^


	7. Why does this feel like a date?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saturday is here, and Nico is nervous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooray for the Saturday not date but totally date!

Nico stood just outside the door, poised and ready to knock.  Faint sounds could be made out somewhere behind the thick piece of metal, the occasional clink of something much like glass, paired with the steady trickle of water pouring down into the porcelain sink.

He knew it was ridiculous to feel nervous, knew that Will was just friendly and wanted someone’s opinion on his newest work.  For the life of him, he couldn’t bring himself to alert the other of his presence.  It was as if his muscles all turned into marble, his feet suddenly gluing him down onto the wooden floor.  Even if he wanted to escape and apologize for his hasty absence later on, he couldn’t.

So he stood there, helpless and hopeless, listening to the strange sounds that indicated life somewhere inside that little apartment, beyond the slowly cooling spring evening and gently pinking azure sky.  Perhaps he should just call out, use his voice instead of his knuckles to signify his hopefully still early arrival.  His tongue felt like it was made of iron and ash.

Pivoting his hips, he admitted defeat.  A quick excuse of sudden food poisoning might be able to explain away all inklings of shame he felt bubbling up inside his stomach.  Before he could so much as take a single step, the sound of a knob turning sent a jolt of adrenaline straight down his spine.

“Oh, Nico.  You’re right on time.”

Glancing back, he caught the soft glow of bronze skin, the gentle sparkle of cerulean iris.  Swallowing hard, he willed motion into the dead weight of his mouth, stretching muscle until it looked somewhere close to a ghost of a smile.  “Hi, Will.”

The smile he received back was like liquid sunlight, pouring itself straight through into his veins.  “Please, come in.  I was just about to take out the trash, but I can set it out and do it later on, instead.”

For the first time, he noticed the white trash bag clutched loosely in the other’s right hand, half obscured by the wall.  “Oh.  I mean, that’s alright.  I can wait here until you get back if you’d like.”

Will’s smile turned peculiar, the dimple in his cheek deepening on the left side.  “Alright, then.  I’ll be back in a flash.”  Sidestepping around Nico’s stiff form, he sashayed down the cement steps, leaving the apartment door wide open in his wake.

Nico watched the other go, leaning back against the wall to wait for his return.  Will had said he was allowed inside, but that courtesy probably didn’t extend to the current situation, sans the other’s presence.  Not that he wouldn’t feel twenty times more awkward standing inside unaccompanied, unsure what to do and what not to touch.  It would be rude to assume, right?

The moment the door opened had caught him off guard, so he hadn’t even spared a glance past Will’s tall frame.  He wondered briefly what strange things lay beyond the yawning gap of the two-foot entryway, and whether or not viewing it from the safety of outside was considered rude or not.  Curiosity got the better of him, and he peered around the corner slowly, ever alert for the soft patter of approaching footsteps.

The layout was much the same as the other apartments he’d seen, the high-ceilinged walls just as bare and white as his own were.  Very few knickknacks littered the room, the meticulous placement of tall standing lamps and the grey-blue sofa giving off a clean and modern vibe.  Stacks of books sat upon the small glass coffee table, with more stuffed tight upon the lone bookcase on the far side of the room near the balcony, but otherwise, everything else appeared to be neatly in place.

Will returned not long after he’d stepped back away from the door, smiling even brighter than the first time.  “When you said you’d wait, I didn’t think you’d meant out on the doorstep like some intruder.  You were welcome to go in.”

A slight flush covered his cheeks, eyes dropping down to his booted feet.  “I didn’t want to impose.”

“Nonsense.  But next time I’ll be sure to get you inside the room before I leave you awkwardly.”  Nico glanced up with a quirked brow, catching the cheeky wink Will shot him before he slipped inside the house.  “I’m still finishing up in the kitchen, so feel free to have a look around if you’d like.  Or you can just have a seat.  Whatever works.”

Begrudgingly Nico followed, closing the door behind him with a soft click.  Will sauntered over to the gleamingly spotless looking kitchen, previously hidden from sight, so much like his own, save for the shelving along the back wall that held canisters of different sizes, each too opaque to view the contents.  The scent of cooking meat wafted up suddenly, causing his mouth to water in appreciation.

Instead of doing anything normal, he decided to stand near the entryway like a weirdo, shuffling his feet around nervously.  “So, your apartment doesn’t look like most artist’s,” he mumbled after a moment of silence, catching Will’s gaze from the gap left between the oven overhanging and the counter space of the breakfast bar.

Another smile curled one side of his mouth.  “No, I guess it doesn’t.  I try to keep my painting to my room or the spare I’ve made into a studio, depending on the time of day and natural flow of light through the windows.  It’s less harsh than fluorescents make things look, and nothing beats sunlight in terms of getting the perfect color balance.”

Nico nodded, though he didn’t have the first idea about painting other than how to spot a good piece and what others might enjoy based on their body language.  Of course, there were always timeless things that most enjoyed, but not everything was for everyone.  Clearing his throat, he inclined his head toward the back area.  “May I?”

“Sure thing.  First door on the left is the studio, nothing inside is off limits.  My room is the end of the hall, but there isn’t anything in there right now except my surprise piece, and it’s covered up.”  Lids lowered over his eyes halfway, giving him a sleepy kind of look.  “I trust you not to betray my privacy with that one.”

Giving a stiff nod in response, Nico shuffled down the hall, heart hammering wildly in his chest.  The door in question was already opened most of the way, soft light spilling into the dark hallway, illuminating the small space.  Peering inside, he took in the change of scenery.

Easels were set up randomly with half-finished works scattered here and there, the entire floor covered from corner to corner in a paint splattered drop cloth.  Boxes stacked up along the left wall, the topmost ones sitting opened, filling to the brim with brushes and paints.

A lone stool sat before a blue painted canvas in the area next to the window, hints of gold flecked here and there throughout in a dazzling pattern of waves and swirls.  The only light that cast its gentle beams about the place came from a small gooseneck yellow lamp propped up on a closed box marked extra supplies, situated on the right wall, closest to the door.

It was exactly how he expected an artist’s space to look, a chaotic mess of painter’s pallettes stacked haphazardly here and there, half-dried paint still clinging flakily to the wooden shapes.  It was stark in contrast to the front area of the house, which somehow made him feel a little more at ease.  Will could be messy, even if it was only with his art.

For the most part, the available paintings to view were still ambiguous at best, their designs left strongly up to interpretation.  Some artists preferred to paint such pieces, allowing the viewers to discover their own hidden truths amidst the splattered blotches and harsh lines, an echoed feeling of a psychologist’s Rorschach test.  Will was not one of those painters, so he assumed the works were still long from completion.

 Shuffling into the cramped and messy space, he observed the canvases closely, wondering what beautiful things would become of such simple sweeps of soft color spread randomly here and there.  Knowing Will’s undeniable talent, even a splotch of yellow could turn into a dance of blues and purples, the soft patter of rain on a quietly deserted street or a field of daisies on a warm spring afternoon.

Surely the other wouldn’t request his opinion of the mostly blank pieces, so he got to work rifling through the disarray, until he stumbled upon a stack of four sitting up against the wall, mostly hidden from sight by a stack of boxes.

The topmost was a swirl of rich hues; bright and vibrant oranges, pinks, purples, yellows, and even a dash of lime; contrasted nicely with navy blues and smoky greys, the hint of brown so dark it could almost be black.  It appeared to be of a park at nighttime, the lone patron walking along at twilight carrying an umbrella as they huddled beneath to avoid the weather.

It was breathtaking and pleasing, but he set it aside, pulling up the next piece. 

Fiery reds and streaks of gold lit themselves ablaze around a young ballerina, her body poised in the arabesque position, long arms spread wide like a pair of wings.  Virgin whites and soft blues rippled through her pleated skirt, hues of chocolate and honey sweeping back along her head until they swirled together to form a traditional style bun.

The only similarities in the two works were the Van Gogh-esque style of little brushstrokes that stood out subtly harsh against the contrasting colors surrounding them.  Both were otherwise unrelated, and upon seeing the third piece, a little row boat out upon a moonlit lake, the sea of stars reflected perfectly below like an endless mirrored image, he found himself frowning in confusion.  What was he missing?

“Ah, I see you’ve braved the landmines to discover the new works.  I applaud your fearlessness.”

Turning a curious glance over his shoulder, he caught sight of Will leaning lazily against the doorframe, two stemless clear cups of dark colored liquid in each of his hands.  A smile tugged at his mouth, both charmingly brilliant and hopelessly devious.

Nico set down the works on top of the nearest box, allowing his own smile to pull at his cheeks.  “Well, it is a little messy, but after your storage space, I’m beginning to notice a pattern here.  You hate unpacking.”

Will’s laugh bubbled up from his throat in a pleasant thrum of sultry sound.  Pushing away from the wall, he took a few languid steps into the room.  “Indeed, I do.  I put it off as long as humanly possible, and sometimes I don’t even get around to some of the boxes before I end up moving again.”

“Move often,” he asked curiously, accepting one of the drinks hesitantly once Will came to stand an arm’s length away.  The glow of his eyes in the soft blue-hued light was so much like looking into a crystal lake that Nico decided to inspect the little vibrations in the liquid instead.  It was safer.

Will hummed in amusement.  “Actually, I don’t.  The last time I moved was over four years ago, and I still managed to find ten or so boxes stuffed here and there with various unusable items inside of them.”  After a beat of silence, he chuckled.  “It’s nothing fancy, just a cheap Syrah I picked up at the store.  Pairs nicely with the roast I made.”

His light and teasing tone cause a gentle flush to paint Nico’s cheeks.  Taking a small sip, the rich flavor washed over his tongue, coating it in a wave of hinted blueberry and spice before it became tart with something peppery and pleasant. 

“Pretty good.  I’m not much of a wine drinker, though, so I don’t really make the best judge.”  Glancing up, he caught the flash of some strange emotion spark in the other’s features, before they morphed back into a soft and sleepy kind of contentedness.  Worrying a lip between his teeth, Nico gestured toward the paintings.  “So, are these them?”

Will’s eyes flicked over briefly.  “Yeah.  What do you think?”

“Well, they’re good.  All of your works are good.”

“But,” Will coaxed teasingly, catching the hesitation running rampant through his tone.

Frowning, he pursed his lips.  “I’m not really sure if I understand how they complement one another.  I mean, they’re all impressionist pieces, but that doesn’t mean much by way of complimentary images.  Just what is this surprise one, and how does it correlate to the others?”

“You saw all of them,” Will asked, tilting his head curiously to the side.

Nico frowned harder.  “I saw three of the four, but I don’t see how one more will change anything.”

Stepping past him, Will breezed over to the two paintings still leaning against the wall, removing the nighttime lake to reveal an even more perplexing artwork beneath.  “I’m sure you’ll understand once you see the main piece.  Trust me, they all complement one another while still remaining their own unique and individual things.”

Unlike the splash of intense colors from the other works, this painting was understated in muted grey and brown.  The hint of blue glow could be made out here and there among the high branches of bare trees; but the main focus, an elderly man playing a game of chess by himself, faded into the rest of the picture like he was hiding amidst the terrain, forgotten by the world.  It was sad, even as the man’s expression looked genuinely happy.

Shaking his head, he sighed.  “I still don’t understand.  You have the same brushstroke style in all of them, but that’s about it.  If anything, I’m curious to see how they actually come together.”

Placing a finger to his lips, Will smirked.  “Then it will be a pleasant surprise once it’s unveiled.  I have a few other ideas, but I’m thinking of veering away from impressionism for the rest.  Wouldn’t want to overdo it.”

Nico hummed in agreement.  “Yeah, best to show off your range of style.  It’ll help to attract a wider range of buyers, in the end.  Not everyone enjoys impressionist work.”

Setting the painting back against the wall, Will clapped his hands together happily.  “So, I think dinner should be about ready now.  I hope you’re hungry?”

Nico smiled beside himself, basking in the warm glow of energy that was Will Solace.  From the light and cheery mannerisms he had to the intense way his eyes shone whenever he spoke about his craft, everything about the guy was simply intoxicating.  Which left Nico with the very real problem of finding himself unfortunately smitten with an unobtainable deity.

“I could eat,” he managed, after a far too long and hopelessly awkward moment of dead silence.

Will’s eyes crinkled at the corners, his lips pulling up into a soft grin.  “Great.”

* * *

 

Watching Will cook was like watching ballet.  The way he glided around the small room was akin to a dance sequence; his motions fluid and airy, his gait light and purposeful.  And the way he managed to hold up a steady flow of witty banter the whole time, without missing a beat or tripping over his tongue.  Nico was entranced, more so than he had ever been.

To top it all off, Will made it a point to create a picture perfect setting at the cozy little table, complete with a small vase filled with white and yellow daisies giving off a gentle springtime ambiance from their place betwixt the two of them. 

Will topped off both of their glasses with the remainder of the bottle before joining him at the table, smiling softly as he waited quietly for Nico to dig in.

The way the food sat pretty upon his plate made him reluctant to take a bite and ruin the masterpiece, but his stomach growled in appreciation for the delicious smell of rich meat, so he gave in after only a beat of hesitation.

Chewing slowly, his eyes closed of their own accord.  Was it even legal to be so perfect at everything?  He didn’t think so, but it was clear Will was going to try.  “You weren’t kidding about the wine pairing well with the dish.  It’s like they were made for one another.”

“That’s because I cooked some of it into the meat,” Will admitted with a wink, stabbing a fingerling potato with his fork, and somehow managing to make the action look attractive.  “It makes it tender, as well as flavorful.”

It was definitely illegal to be that damn good looking no matter the situation, a steady blush rising to his cheeks as he focused intently on finishing his meal without choking to death.  “It’s really good.”

“Thanks.”

Will didn’t disturb him again and the two quietly enjoyed the rest of their meal in companionable silence, though he did leave the table at one point to grab a fresh bottle of wine.  Nico didn’t even notice his glass was empty until he saw the other leaning over to fill it once more, the deep maroon liquid spilling gently into the stemless cup.

“So, how are the preparations for the gala coming along,” Will asked, swirling his wine around in a gentle circle before he took a slow drink, blue eyes watching him intently from over the top of his glass.

Nico swallowed hard, lifting up his own wine and taking a hearty sip.  A gentle warmth had already begun to blossom in his chest, the effects of the alcohol starting to loosen his tightly wound muscles.  “It’s getting there.  Rachel and Piper are helping as much as possible, I’m pretty sure they want me to have as much free time as I can get.”

Will hummed, lacing his fingers underneath his chin.  “That’s very kind of them, to help you like that.”

Nico snorted in response.  “Hardly.  Their motives are always ulterior.”

Quirking an eyebrow, Will tilted his head questioningly.  “Oh?”

“Yeah, they just want to make sure I have no excuses to come in on the weekends.  You know I didn’t have a single day off until just the other week?  It’s like Piper has become my boss, only it’s with my personal life instead of my business.”  He took another sip, absentmindedly running his finger along the rim until it began to sing a haunting tune.

“Is that so,” Will leaned in, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.  “And do you need help?  With your personal life?”

Nico laughed, the sound low and throaty.  “She sure seems to think so.  Keeps insisting I ‘get out there’ and ‘meet new people’ or ‘go on dates.’  As if I have all the time in the world to worry about things like that.”

Taking another drink, Will leaned back in his chair, throwing one arm over the seatback.  His free hand still gingerly encircled the base of his cup.  “You’re here with me right now,” he pointed out, face betraying no hint of his thoughts, only calm collected stoicism.

Heat steadily flooded Nico’s cheeks, gaze dropping to the table.  “Ah, yeah.  But that’s… that’s different.”

“How so?”

Nico’s eyes shot up searchingly, skipping back and forth over soft blue irises.  “Because… you’re my client?”  He had meant it to come out as a casual statement, but it was hard to miss the tone of uncertainty in his voice.

Will tilted his head again, lids falling down to partially obscure his eyes.  “So, we’re friends, then.  Is that what this is?”

“What,” he mumbled weakly, feeling the room begin to grow hotter by the second.  Were the walls always so close together?  How did it get to be so quiet?

“I’m just trying to get a feel for what you want.  I can be a friend if that’s what makes you the most comfortable.”  Will’s fingers idly twirled the glass, red liquid sloshing like small waves beating against the sides of the cup in mesmerizing ripples.

Blood roared loudly in his ears, Nico’s mouth going dry as his heart rate picked up speed.  Maybe it was the wine messing with his head.  Maybe he wasn’t hearing properly.  “I’d like to be your friend.  But I want you to be yourself.  You don’t have to force it.”

Will’s smile cut through the fog steadily filling Nico’s brain, lighting up all the little cracks and crevices like the rising sun.  “Alright, I will,” he said slowly, sitting up straighter and propping his elbows on the table’s surface.  After a beat of silence, he gestured toward the half full bottle.  “Would you like another glass?”

Nico’s was empty once more, but he didn’t remember drinking it at all.  It must have been mechanical, limbs moving of their own accord.  “Oh, uh, no thank you.”  He chuckled nervously.  “I’m feeling a little light-headed already.  I’m not used to alcohol.”

“I’ll remember that,” Will purred.

Rising to his feet, he swayed precariously as the room spun, catching himself before he could fall over.  “I should… probably be getting back now, it’s getting late and I’m sure you have other things you’d like to do.”

“Not really, no,” Will smiled, lazily placing his chin on his gently curled fist.  “I cleared my schedule just in case.”

Nico laughed again, pitch rising a full three octaves.  “Oh.  Well, I should really get home, anyway.  Lots of things to finish before the gala, calls to make, flyers to print.  Thank you for the meal, it was really great.  Uh, bye.”

Turning around, he tripped over his own feet as he attempted to run away.  Will caught him effortlessly, strong arms keeping him upright as an amused look painted his handsome face.  “Should I walk you home, then?”

“No no, that’s really unnecessary.  I’m fine.  I trip over myself all the time.”

_Wow, that was probably the stupidest thing to say.  Good job, Nico, now he thinks you’re a lightweight and a klutz._

Will’s laughter was like little bells.  “Well, if you insist then I won’t embarrass you.  Have a good night, Nico.”

“You, too, Will,” he mumbled, then sprinted toward the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you see parallels to Victor and Yuuri, that would be because this fic is my ode to YOI without writing an actual crossover, or an actual YOI fic. ^^  
> If that was a complete surprise, then awesome! Perhaps only I think it's a little glaringly obvious with that last little part.  
> And if you have zero clue what I'm talking about (I know a few of you do, coughcoughcough) you should go run and find all the joy that is Yuri on Ice!
> 
> If I made any mistakes, or this is wonky in any way, let me know and I'll clean it up!  
> I am being rushed in my proofread and didn't want to post it hours later when I can just post now and deal with the mistakes. ^^
> 
> Comments are my favorite, let me know what's what! <3


	8. Why does there have to be distance?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a slightly longer chapter to make up for the wait?  
> P.S. I totally didn't forget, I'm just a jerkface. ^^;;

Nico didn’t stop running until he was safely behind the closed door, falling against it and panting hard.  The effects of the alcohol still dulled most of his senses, the room swaying as it blurred softly at the edges, making his head feel unbearably heavy.  Panic seemed to choke him up, but he pushed it back, sliding down the length of cool metal as his limbs curled in on themselves, wrapping himself up into a shaky ball of raw nerves.

_What in the Hell was that?_

The events of the evening swirled through his mind at a dizzying pace; a whirlwind of chaos that left him feeling open and exposed, torn apart and scattered haphazardly about the place, unable to collect the pieces and merge them back together.  Nothing had happened, and yet it felt like a weight was placed upon his shoulders, an impossible imposing mass of _something_ that wasn’t soon to leave, claws sunk into his sensitive flesh like a hawk clutching a frightened rabbit to its breast.

Try as he might to stop the flow of thoughts barraging the delicate walls of his mind, they too rose up like waves upon a rocky cliffside, eroding the foundation and threatening to overtake him.  Why had Will invited him over?  Was there anything deeper behind those piercing eyes and curled lips?  Perhaps that nagging sensation in the far corner of his brain was something to listen to…

_You’re reading too much into it.  Knock it off before you completely ruin everything._

Dragging his body upright he stumbled down the hall, only narrowly avoiding a tumble into the door as he burst into his bedroom and made a beeline for the mattress.  The world swayed and spun as he fell face first into crisp, cold pillows, stomach churning violently in protest at the abrupt change from vertical to horizontal.

The hollow tock sounding from the kitchen was the only disturbance to cut through the heavy silence pressing down on him; and as he closed his eyes, steadied his breathing from a panting gasp to a soft brushing warmth against the blood red sheets, a wry smile curled his lips of its own accord.

_I’m hopeless._

By the time sunlight trickled through the half-closed curtains to dance tauntingly across the skin on his face, the horrible nausea he’d felt had died down, replaced with a splitting headache and a mouth so dry and parched it could double as a barren wasteland.

He skipped the hot shower, going first to the kitchen sink to gulp down as much lukewarm tap water from the faucet as was humanly possible without a cup, somehow avoiding an impromptu sink bath in the process before filling a teakettle to the brim and placing it onto the stove.

With steaming coffee in hand, he plunked himself down before his laptop and booted it up, wincing slightly at the horrible screech it made as it slowly powered on.  The bulk of his emails were irrelevant spam, common weekly newsletter updates from sites he didn’t have the energy to unsubscribe from, and forwarded chainmail from Piper and Hazel who couldn’t help but resend those ‘forward to 10 people or else’ emails because “what if?”

Annabeth had graciously agreed to volunteer both herself and Percy as servers the night of the Gala, promising to find a few more before the week’s end.  Calypso had sent a long list of vendors that would be happy to cater the event for cheap, most of them local food trucks that would jump at the opportunity to get their name out to a broader clientele circle.  The wine had shipped the previous day and would arrive by week’s end, the printing service sent a pdf file of the finished work for him to go ahead and okay, and the insurance company confirmed his policy would cover the cost in the event there was a fire or other disaster, heaven forbid.

Just as he was about to close down the app and hop into the shower to wash away the self-loathing and regret that clung to his skin from the night before, a familiar name popped up in bolded text, the telltale ping announcing a brand new unread email.  He gazed wearily at the subject matter, _Last Night_ , debating whether or not to pretend like he’d never seen it there.  After a beat, reluctance won out.

_Hey, Nico,_

_Just checking to see how you’re feeling.  You had a bit to drink, and if you’re anything like I am, I’m sure you’re nursing a hangover because of it.  If not, that’s great!  Wine hangovers can really kick your ass, so if you need anything, let me know.  I’d be happy to grab something from the store or even just provide some company if you’d rather not be alone._

_Talk to you soon,_  
Will  
  
Clicking the X on the app, he closed the lid with a sigh, shuffling toward the bathroom with heavy limbs.  Uncertainty left a bitter taste on his tongue, one he wasn’t sure would ebb anytime soon.

* * *

 

Nico put off responding to Will until his confusion had subsided a little.  Of course, the longer he sat on it, the harder it was to work up a reply.  In the end, he had ended up avoiding Will like the plague, in part because he was unclear of the other’s intentions, though mostly because he was more ashamed as the days passed on.  Running out on dinner was one thing.  Ignoring the guy entirely was just plain cold.

Not that Will had tried much in the few days hence.  It could even be argued that the two brief emails he’d gotten were more of the rhetorical sort, far less in need of a response than a direct question or polite hello.  He had also miraculously avoided their usual run-ins every morning before work, and rarely if ever noticed a light on inside the other’s apartment whenever he happened to get home late at night.  It was almost as if they truly were just business acquaintances, no deeper involvement whatsoever.   

The week dragged on with little to show for it.

Piper had jumped him Monday morning, barraging him with questions about his so-called “date.”  He had played it cool, of course, but that didn’t stop him from internally panicking about whatever it was he might have thought was going on with Will and himself.  Which wasn’t much, in the end, seeing as how all he had to do was peer into a mirror to remind himself that Will was far, far out of his league.  A little humility never hurt anyone.

The shipment of wine arrived on Tuesday just before closing, the flyers from the printers were ready to pick up on Wednesday afternoon, and other than a random drunk homeless person stumbling inside before being immediately escorted back out again, nothing of interest happened in the least.

By the following Friday, his emotions were just as frayed and fragile as they were the night he got back, though the tightly wound sensation in the pit of his stomach may have worsened a tad since.  Try as he might to shake them off, words still swirled around his head; picking apart their meanings and attempting to sift through them until all that was left to discover was the naked truth.

_Soft blue irises.  His heartbeat thundering like a steam engine in his ears.  The twinkling sound of Will’s laugh.  The curve of his full lips as he smiled._

_“So, we’re friends, then.  Is that what this is?”_

Sunlight streamed in through the large glass windows, strips of white painting the sandy wooden floor like fingers splayed out on an opened hand.  Just beyond the thick panes of clear crystal, bustling people wandered to and fro, the sounds of their happy chatter wafting in through the sliver of space between the crisp white wall and the gallery’s front door. 

Inside the quiet and less chaotic building, meticulous and pristine with its high ceilings and shiny platinum light fixtures, patrons quietly browsed the selections he and his team had decided to display for the day.  The soft hum of soothing music set the ambiance to one of peaceful serenity, and even the soft blue-hued bulbs washed their surroundings in a calm and tranquil atmosphere, ideal for melting tension.

Internally, Nico was still trapped helplessly in a jumble of words and conflicting ideas, drowning in a sea of self-inflicted torment and misery.

_“I’m just trying to get a feel for what you want.  I can be a friend if that’s what makes you the most comfortable.”_

A woman in her mid-thirties flitted through a pile of smaller artworks close by, the skin of her bottom lip held captive between her teeth.  A wrinkle gently creased her forehead, the occasional huff of sound escaping her throat every now and then as her brow furrowed hard before a look of astonished surprise shot her eyebrows to comical heights, only to return almost immediately to her previous frowning expression.

From time to time, her eyes would narrow apprehensively, like the paintings were somehow mocking in content; though he knew from personal experience that couldn’t be the case.  Unless, of course, she was mocked by having to look at abstract watercolor designs with no real tangible content, like a Psychiatrist’s Rorschach ink splotches.  It was plausible, but not probable.

She left not long after without buying anything, though he did notice her take a flyer for the Gala that Piper had left helpfully near the exit.  ‘To attract potential attendees,’ or so the girl had cheerfully stated as she batted her long eyelashes sweetly, the skin of her lips pulled high in a bright white, dazzling smile.  It was hard to say no to her charm, even as he narrowed his eyes, completely unimpressed with the act.

_“Not really, no.  I cleared my schedule just in case.”_

_“Well, if you insist then I won’t embarrass you.”_

_“Have a good night, Nico.”_

_Nico…_

“…Nico?”

Glancing up into quizzical green eyes, a warm smile spread softly across the girl’s face as she tucked a bit of wild, fiery hair behind her ear.  Splotches of blue and purple speckled her apron and hands, flecks mixing gently with the splattering of honeyed freckles across the bridge of her nose.

“Sorry, Rachel.  Did you need something,” he asked, attempting to return a fraction of her warmth with his own broken and tired smile.

Rolling back onto her heels, the girl’s hands folded behind her back, head tipping to one side in question.  “You seem a little out of it, is all.  I was wondering if you wanted me to take over the register for a little while?  You could go on break or something.”

With a reluctant sigh, Nico gave a quick nod.  “Yeah.  Yeah, perhaps a quick coffee run will do me some good.  Want anything?”  Lifting his arms up toward the ceiling, his spine cracked with a satisfying triple pop before he quickly signed out of the register, allowing the girl access to his spot.

Rachel beamed, pulling the paint-stained smock off over her head and folding it neatly before stowing it beneath the counter space.  Gathering up the long tendrils of wispy hair at the crown of her head she secured it there with an elastic band, allowing the messy ringlets to cascade down toward her shoulders like liquid fire.  “Medium soy chai latte, please,” she chirped.

With an equally tired smile in response, Nico set off at a brisk pace, pushing open the heavy glass door and exiting out into the tightly packed throng of bodies still bustling down the block.  The sun was warm on his back through the dark fabric of his shirt, a trickle of sweat already beginning to bead up along his hairline as the crowd moved along slowly, preventing him from maintaining his quick stride.

 _I wonder if this is how a canned sardine feels,_ he thought wryly, pushing through the sea of masses at the last second the small café came into view and somehow managing to reach his destination before becoming hopelessly swept away by the flurry of pedestrians.

Thankfully for him, the little shop was airconditioned, a pleasant aroma mixing nicely with the cooler interior that rushed up to kiss his heated skin the moment he stepped inside.  It sent a delicious shiver down his sticky back, basking in the sensation for a beat before stepping up to the register.

The familiar flash of dark eyes and an impish smile greeted him from behind the deep red-wooded counter as the guy placed a steaming cup down and called out for the patron who ordered it.  “Will, orders ready,” he said quickly before turning fully and tilting his head.  “Hey, Neeks.  What can I get going for you today?”

The hint of a crease furrowed his brow as he scowled distastefully at the cheerful face of his sort-of-acquaintance-but-more-so-friend-of-a-friend.  “Leo, if you call me Neeks again, I’m going to punch you in the throat.”

A peel of laughter ripped from the other’s lips, the same crooked smile dancing wickedly across his mouth.  “Alright, I apologize.  What can I get going for you today, Mr. di Angelo?”

Air escaped in a hiss through his teeth, tongue clicking in mild annoyance.  “Medium soy chai latte and a large Black Eye.  Actually, it’s a slow day, better make that a triple.”

“Dead Eye and a Soy Chai, coming right up,” Leo quipped in a strangely sing-song voice.  Without asking for any form of payment, he pivoted on his heel and sashayed across the room, the whir of machines filling the silence in the quiet shop.

Browsing the small case of freshly baked goods to pass the time, Nico allowed his ever-wandering mind to once again dissect the situations that had been plaguing him for almost an entire week.

Part of him was glad for the radio silence, it made it easier to feel less guilty for his actions.  It also made him even more wound up, wondering anxiously if he’d done something wrong or if it was just his insecurities talking.  After all, Will had tried to stop by earlier in the week, though it was consequently at the same time he’d been running an errand and was out.  Piper said he took a handful of flyers but left no message nor reason for his visit.

It was probably for the best, given his overly anxious tendencies.  He’d probably just have made up some excuse and ran away like a coward anyway.  Facing Will now was the last thing he wanted to do.

“Fancy meeting you here,” a familiar voice breathed the words far too close to his left ear, causing Nico to flinch and almost fall into the freezer section of the display.  Warm hands gripped his upper arm to keep him upright, a sparkling sunshine smile playing out over that bronze-skinned face as he hesitantly turned toward the last person he wanted to see.

Swallowing awkwardly, Nico forced a timid quirk of the lips.  “Will.  I didn’t know you came to this coffee shop…”

Azure eyes crinkled in the corners, a hum of amusement bubbling in the other’s throat.  “It is the closest coffee to the apartments.  Unless you count McDonald's, which, I sincerely hope no one ever does.  But I happen to like the roasts better than other places, too.”

A strangely choked laugh escaped before Nico could stop it.  “Ah, yeah.  Ogygia is probably the best shop on our side of town.  I could do without the obnoxious staff, though,” he muttered, loud enough for the very obviously eavesdropping barista to hear and chuckle quietly in response.

Will blinked a few times in confusion, gaze wandering toward Leo before snapping back and softening slightly.  “Friends of yours?”

“Unfortunately,” he sighed, smiling wryly.  “I blame Piper, she’s always collecting all manner of strays and forcing them upon me and my comfort zone.”

As if on cue, Leo sauntered up with three to go cups safely placed inside a brown recycled-paper carrying tray, setting it down gently and clearing his throat.  “Orders ready, Nico.  I figured the chai wasn’t for Pipes, so I made her usual on the offhand chance she needed it.”

“Thanks.  How much do I owe you,” he asked, reaching for the wallet tucked away in the back right pocket of his tight black jeans.

Leo waved a dismissive hand.  “Don’t worry about it.  On the house.”

An exasperated sigh rumbled in his throat.  “You’re going to drive Calypso out of business if you keep giving all of us free coffee, Leo.”

“Nah, we get a ton of regulars in here.  Practically every day.”

“Considering the fact that half of your regulars are people you personally know, I am skeptical,” Nico responded dryly.  Pulling out a twenty-dollar bill, he dropped it into the tip jar, simultaneously placing the wallet back into its place with an irrefutable, pointed look on his face.  “Peace of mind, if nothing else.”

Another crooked smile brightened the other’s impish face.  “See?  Business is just fine.”  Flicking his dark eyes between the two of them still standing awkwardly close, Leo snickered, nose crinkling.  “Well, I’m just going to go clean something.  Way over there, out of earshot.  See ya around, Neeks,” he chirped, then walked away whistling poorly and offkey.

New waves of anxiety churned in his gut as Nico reluctantly turned his attention back to the gorgeous creature beside him.  “Well.  It was nice seeing you.  I should probably get back, I left Rachel at the register.”

An odd look flashed across Will’s handsome face, so quickly that Nico wondered if he’d actually seen it at all.  In seconds, another perfectly sculpted sparkling smile was tugging at his lips, though it appeared a few degrees chillier and lacking in the strangest of ways.

“Indeed.  Have a good day, then,” he breathed, the very picture of cool composure.  Even the slow, lazy way the guy blinked was a testament to just how unruffled their situation left him.

_If you can call it a situation.  Perhaps it’s all just in my head._

The horrible sinking sensation only seemed to worsen, a small part of Nico hoping for something more than that, even as he couldn’t quite place what it was that he wanted.  “You, too,” he mumbled, lifting the tray up slowly if only to further prove the point of his needed departure.

Will offered his typical gentle wave before turning around and retrieving his own cup from the counter, taking it over to a little round table tucked away in the corner of the L shaped room, just out of reach of the sun’s grasp.  He sipped from it slowly, attention fully focused on a spiralbound notebook before him, blue eyes flicking across the page rapidly.  Even as Nico hoped for another fleeting glance, nothing ever came.

_Maybe he’s just busy..._

With a soft sigh, he left, the quiet overhead jingle of bells ringing deafeningly in his ears the entire trek back to work.

* * *

 

Setting up for the upcoming event was a lot harder than he originally thought it was going to be.  Piper and Rachel helped as much as humanly possible whenever they could, answering emails or okaying the purchases so he could focus more on the gallery instead; but for all of their efforts, the one thing he couldn’t avoid was also the cause of his anxiety.  It was still his sole responsibility to deal with Will.

With the date of the Gala dwindling by the second, and as the owner of the gallery hosting the event, he knew it was up to him to set up the exhibition with the artist ahead of time, just to ensure it was up to the gallery’s standards.  Which meant the evening of the coffee shop incident he found himself reluctantly typing up an email, asking when the two could meet up.

The response later that night was brief.

_Nico,_

_I’m available tomorrow and Sunday, starting at noon.  Meet me in the parking lot, I’ll drive you._

_Will_

Leaning back in his chair, he rubbed his temples with a sigh.  Perhaps it was all inside his head, he was just reading into things that weren’t actually there.  Come tomorrow, Will would greet him with the usual dazzling smile and he’d find himself right back in the unfortunate situation of struggling hard not to fall for his neighbor.  Who was also a client.  And probably treated everyone nicely.

_It’ll be fine._

Only once he showed up at their meeting place ten minutes early and found Will leaning back against his car with a strangely determined look in his eyes, he knew immediately that something was off.  It didn’t take long to figure out the reason.  Will was a whole new level of insanely anal over his work and how it needed to be presented. 

Not that he hadn’t dealt with uptight artists before, in his line of work it was common to find pretentious young painters that thought their talent was something to be fawned over.  Will was undeniably a fantastic painter, but how any one person could appear so carefree and laid back in all observable areas only to turn around and become the most uptight and critical perfectionist, and over the oddest of things, was beyond him.

The man was a nutcase.  A beautiful, golden sex god; but a nutcase, nonetheless. 

The entirety of the weekend was spent clearing out one of the building’s sizeable viewing rooms, driving back and forth multiple times to retrieve all the required works, then setting and resetting everything over and over and _over_ again.  It was there that he found himself Sunday evening, annoyed and exhausted, watching listlessly at the hard look in Will’s eyes as he swept his gaze down the length of the room, almost cold in his assessment. 

A low hum rumbled in the guy’s throat, brow drawing together softly as his eyes narrowed a fraction in distaste.  “Wrong.”

Nico had to resist the urge to scream out in frustration, swallowing it back and clenching his jaw tight.  “What’s the issue this time,” he seethed, not bothering to contain the note of irritation from his tone for once.  Fifteen times in the past two days, that’s how often he’d heard those damning words spoken in that same flat voice.  Any more and he might walk out and never return.

Will turned to him, a look of surprise taking over his handsome face.  “You can’t see it,” he asked lightly, in no way condescending or superior, even as the other took it as such.

Pursing his mouth to avoid a scowl, Nico shook his head.  “It looks fine to me, so, I’m going to go with no.  Then again, you won’t tell me what it is you’re trying to achieve, so I can’t exactly be of much help, can I?”

A gentle smile tugged the ends of Will’s full lips.  “No, I suppose you couldn’t,” he stated rather blandly, folding his arms behind his back.  Pivoting, he returned his focus back to the room.  “Well, this isn’t it.  I want to change this whole wall, and maybe move those center displays around a bit, giving it a more angled look.  The main piece will go there, and then those others will flank it, spreading outward like wings.  It’s a better visual, I think.”

Releasing a breathy sigh, he gave a stiff nod.  “Alright, I’ll take those down, you move the displays.  You know better than I do what you’ve visualized.”

“Actually, while you’re at it, you might as well do that wall, too.  Now that I think about it, some of those should really go over there, and vice versa.”  Without waiting for a response, Will sauntered off, the casual flow of his languid movements still impossibly at odds with the hard glint reflected in his cold eyes.

Nico watched him for a moment in contemplative silence, warring with himself on quiet obedience or vocal reluctance.  Either way, he’d be stuck helping until the other was satisfied, so he pushed down the need to protest and got to work. 

It wasn’t even that hard to do, just tedious and irksome after hours of repetition.  To top it all off, the two had hardly spoken a word that deviated from their current task, which only managed to further the yawning distance he’d felt growing betwixt the two of them after that confusing night.

_I guess I’m just overthinking things if he hasn’t brought it up yet.  And we are supposed to be focusing on getting things set, I should be glad that the usual flirtatious undertones are removed from the equation…_

Sparing a wistful glance over his shoulder, Nico caught sight of Will’s golden profile intently focused on his task.  Soft yellow-hued lights illuminated his sunny locks from high above, making him gleam like a statuesque Adonis dipped in lacquered bronze.  The soft fan of deep black lashes over his azure eyes cast his cheeks in haunting shadows, and for a moment, Nico thought he could almost trace sorrow etched deep into those perfect lines; though why it was present at all was a mystery.

As if he noticed the gaze lingering on him, Will turned around suddenly, lips parted softly in surprise.  “Is something the matter,” he finally asked after a beat of thick silence, mouth twitching slightly in the corners with the hint of a smile or grimace.

Nico blinked a few times before shaking his head.  “Oh, sorry.  No, everything is fine.”

“We could take a break if-“

“No no,” he mumbled quickly, waving his hands about frantically to derail that train before he found himself pulling an all-nighter.  It was already half past seven, the promise of adequate sleep dwindling by the second.  Who knows how many more times Will would force them to change things after this.  “Really, I was just spacing out for a moment there.  It happens.”

Will chuckled at that, albeit humorlessly, swiping a hand through his hair absentmindedly.  “Alright, then.  Just let me know if that changes.”  Turning, he resumed his arrangement of the display, the only sound floating up the occasional scrape of metal across linoleum flooring.

Sighing inwardly, Nico made quick work of removing the paintings and placing them back in the center of the room to be sorted through and rehung once more.  By the end of it, his arms were sore from lugging around heavy canvas for hours and hours under the other’s watchful gaze.

 _Who knew Will could be such a tyrant,_ he thought ruefully as the two hurriedly returned the artwork to the bare walls, until the place began to resemble an actual exhibition room and not just an eerily lit, long hallway.  It took the better part of an hour to figure out, but soon, the pile was back down to a handful of pieces and the walls were awash in a swirl of dramatic colors and shapes.

“This one can go over on spot A7, and these two B12 and 13,” Will instructed with a brittle smile before grabbing up the remaining work and crossing the room.  When everything was perfectly placed, he took a step back and analyzed it with a piercing gaze, mouth forming a thin line.

Holding his breath, Nico watched the other for signs of displeasure, ready to call it quits for the evening should the guy once again deem it unfit.  The clock on the wall said it was just shy of nine PM, and he was aching for a hot shower, a few shots of something strong, and a good rest; probably in that exact order, energy permitting.

Clicking his tongue, Will turned to him with a stoic expression dancing across his face.  “I think we’ve finally got it,” he murmured, tone far too serious for the joyous content his words were implying.

Nico resisted the urge to yelp in excitement, relief shooting like cool water through his veins.  “Yeah?  That’s great.  I’m glad we’re finally prepared to-“ the words died in his throat as his eyes skipped around the area, relief giving way to confusion.  “Uh… wasn’t this the exact same setup we began with?”

Blue eyes leveled him calmly.  “Not at all.”

Tilting his head, Nico frowned.  “I’m almost certain that it is,” he muttered, pointing to the prints one by one.  “You said it should go in order of style from Impressionism, merging into Expressionism and Fauvism, then Cubism, and lastly the Aesthetic and Realism.  You even had Winter’s Day on this end and Streetlight on that one.”

“Ah, but we moved the center display from an inverted U to a wideset V.  I also switched Rainy Night Sky with Sunlight Tempest, and the same goes for Winter’s Song and A Departure on that side.  So, it’s vastly different.”

If the delivery wasn’t so honest and genuine, he would have burst into fits of delirious laughter, or else collapse in sobs of grief.  “So, all of that work, all of that time, and you went for swapping four measly works and angling up the display area?”

Will nodded, a pleased look brightening up his face.  “I knew something wasn’t quite right with that first setup.  I’m glad we finally figured it out.”  Running his eyes over the walls once more, a small frown began to form between his brows.  “Though, now that I think about it, Rainy Night Sky should probably go after Sunlight Tempest, since Nighttime Stroll comes next and it’ll help to break up the monotony.”

“Please, no more nitpicking,” Nico begged in a strangled voice, grabbing onto the other’s arm to stop him from marching over and ruining everything.  “At least sleep on it.  If you still want to mess with it, you’re welcome to come back tomorrow and do so.  Or anytime until the event.”

With a sigh, Will gave a curt nod, tight smile pulling at his mouth.  “Okay.  I should probably let you get home, hm?”  There was a strange look to his gaze as he spoke, eyes opaque crystal pools as they skipped back and forth over the other’s dark ones.  “I’ll drive you there, even if it is only a few blocks.”

Nico made to protest, then thought better of it.  Where was the harm in a two-minute car ride?  Besides, his muscles screamed in agony with every step, so it was really for his own good to acquiesce.  “Sure.  Ready when you are.”

The silence was uncomfortable as they left the building, continuing the entire journey until they pulled into the parking lot nearest their respective buildings.  After a short farewell, the two split ways, Will’s golden outline disappearing into the shadowy night.

Nico watched in quiet contemplation for a while at the spot the other had last inhabited until the night’s chill sank deep into the thin fabric of his shirt, caressing softly the skin of his chest and back.  Gooseflesh danced across his exposed arms, urging him up the stairwell and into the house.

By the time he made it through the door and into his bedroom, he fell readily onto the mattress with heavy limbs, forgetting almost instantly about everything else save the alluring call of blissful sleep.

* * *

 

“You spent the entire weekend with him, and you don’t have anything juicy to show for it?  Seriously, Nico, how many opportunities are you going to allow to slip through your fingers?”

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he heaved a tired sigh.  “Piper.  How many times do I have to repeat that Will and I are just-“

Piper cut him off with a hard look, hazel eyes narrowed in apprehension.  The skin of her lip stuck out slightly in a childish pout before she huffed angrily, crossing arms over her chest.  “I’m not blind, you know, I can tell when two people are crushing on one another.  Do you honestly think Will would come to you with these minor dilemmas if he wasn’t trying to find ways to spend more time with you?”

“Maybe he’s just in need of a second opinion?”

Rolling her eyes, she sighed.  “I understand that you’re naturally skeptical, but even you can’t be that dense.  Honestly, Neek, if you don’t do something about it soon, he’s going to move on.  People can only take so much before they deem the situation to be a lost cause.”

The need to argue was overwhelming, but he held it back, deciding it wasn’t worth the wasted effort.  Piper was just as stubborn as he was, the only difference being she had the energy to go on for hours whereas he was still exhausted from the previous two days.  The muscles in his arms still ached when he used them, the tension in his spine still tightly wound.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he mumbled in response, turning his attention back to the email he was still only halfway through constructing when Piper had blindsided him with questions.

Patting him condescendingly on the head, the girl heaved her own tired sounding sigh.  “I’d say I believe you, but I know you far too well to think you’ve finally come to your senses.  Hopefully the guy has the patience of a saint, otherwise, I don’t foresee much in your future.  Shame, really.  Such a cute butt.”

The bell over the door drowned out the low growl bubbling in his throat, eyes flicking up casually from the screen only to widen in surprise at the figure slowly approaching the desk.  Piper made to leave the room but Will called out to her before she could take a single step.

“Piper, if you’re not busy, could you help me out for a second?  I just needed to go over the setup really fast, and there’s a picture I’d like to potentially move.”

Glancing Nico’s way, she hummed in thought.  “You know, I was just about to go run and do something in the back.  I’m sure Nico would be happy to help out-“

“Really, it’ll only take a moment,” Will said with a dazzling smile, his attention never straying from the girl’s quizzical expression.  “I’ll be out of your hair real soon.  Just two minutes of your time.”

“Well,” she drew out the word as her gaze flicked back and forth between the two of them, clearly unsure of how to respond.  “I suppose.  After you.”

Will’s smile grew even brighter as he sidestepped the desk, disappearing down the hallway without even a momentary glance in Nico’s direction.

Piper followed behind, face both confused and grim, hazel eyes pitying as they caught his own for the briefest of seconds.  The look he saw there screamed her previous words back at him, their message sinking deep into his veins like a river of ice.

_People can only take so much before they deem the situation to be a lost cause._

With a terrible ache welling up in his chest Nico turned back to the computer screen, desperate to pretend he was just imagining the ever-growing gap of distance that seemed to grow wider by the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, I am so, so sorry for taking _this_ freaking long to post a single chapter.  
>  And not a very good one, at that, as I am sick right now and probably dying, to boot. (total exaggeration, I promise.)  
> But, I posted it because I've heard your little nudges and I really appreciate it so very much that some of you haven't given up on me despite the lengthy wait and potential further hiccups, because, let's be honest here, I'm horrible and probably won't whip myself back into shape soon.  
> I really do enjoy the comments and it's never, ever a problem for me if y'all want to just pester me indefinitely until I post something. I am not too busy, I am indeed just a lazy asshole who falls into binge-watching anime or playing senseless games (oh, so very senseless) and even my husband and son probably think I'm lame because of it. :D  
> SO! On that note, thank you for the patience, sorry for the wait, sorry sorry sorry for the chapter if it is at all wonky or confusing or boring or whatever else-- I am now going to go medicate and think about just how many other fics I need to update and how long that'll take me to accomplish. ^^


	9. Why did I have to do that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huzzah! Only a billion years later.

“You’re sulking.”

Glancing up from his cup of lukewarm coffee, Nico frowned at the girl watching him from just outside the door.  “I am not, Piper.  I’m taking my break, as you can clearly see,” he said with a sigh, motioning to the whole of the break room with one swooping gesture.

Piper pursed her lips and leaned against the door jamb, crossing arms over her chest.  “Then why have you been sitting there staring into your coffee cup for the last fifteen minutes without taking a single sip?”

“How would you know how many sips I’ve had,” he muttered darkly, ignoring the truth he felt weighing heavily on his shoulders.  Will hadn’t so much as emailed him once in three days, and it was starting to bother him some.  Not that he’d tried very hard himself.  Even just looking at the apartment across from his felt a little too much like instant rejection.

The girl snorted derisively in response.  “Come on, Nico.  I’ve got eyes, and I know you.”

Lifting the cup to his lips he slurped the bitter liquid, all the while never breaking eye contact.  Quirking a brow, he set it back on the round white table.  “Satisfied now?”

“Hardly,” she huffed, kicking off the wall and pulling up a chair beside him.  With a deep breath, she placed both of her hands on his knees, leaning forward ever so slightly.  “Nico, I think it’s time for an intervention.”

“Don’t you dare,” he hissed, narrowing his eyes apprehensively.  “And I’ll pass.  Besides, nothing is wrong, to begin with.  I’m just trying to enjoy my break.”

“Look, I understand why you’re upset.  I’d be upset, too.  But nothing will ever resolve itself if you don’t talk. To. Him.”  The girl punctuated the last three words with a hard poke to his leg.

Rubbing the tender area, he batted her away angrily.  “I haven’t a reason to talk with him, Piper.”

“So, now you need a reason,” she asked incredulously.  “And yeah, I’m pretty sure you do.  Or was I just imagining the tense atmosphere the other day and the pitiful look playing out on your face as we went into the back?”

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he shook his head in frustration.  “No, I mean there’s nothing to say.  Everything is going smoothly with work.  Nothing is wrong, and I am not sulking.  I do not need an intervention, though, I’m beginning to wonder if you do, given how obsessed you’ve become with all of this.”

A sudden sharp bark of laughter left her lips, hazel eyes twinkling with delight.  “Oh, Nico.  Nico, Nico, Nico.”

“Please stop saying my name,” he huffed, flicking his dark gaze away from her intensely probing one. 

Piper hummed happily, patting him roughly on the knee.  “You have it really bad, don’t you?”

“What,” he squawked indignantly, turning back to the girl with a disturbed look on his face.  “How in Hades name did you jump to that conclusion from everything I’ve said?  How many times do I have to deny that I-“

“Methinks thou doth protest too much,” she cut him off with a haughty look.  “And besides, di Angelo, you’re forgetting that I know you better than anyone else.  And that’s saying something because Hazel really seems to understand that twisted mind you’ve got.  But when it comes to emotions involving other people, I’m the expert.  I know the more vehemently you deny something the more it’s probably true.”

Nico soured exponentially.  “I do not…” he paused midsentence.  Heaving a tired sigh, his shoulders sunk in defeat.  Why bother denying it anymore?  The girl was like a jackhammer when it came to breaking down his resistance and pulling the gritty truth from deep inside of him.  “Okay, maybe there’s like a tiny little crush going on.”

“Ah Hah!”  Piper pointed at him in accusation.

He swatted the offending limb away with a grimace.  “But that doesn’t even matter in the least because he isn’t interested in return.”  He’d spoken so quickly the words all blended together, and he was afraid the girl wouldn’t understand what he said, let alone what he meant.

Blinking owlishly, she rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly.  “Wow.  Okay, so, you’re far more oblivious to things than I thought.”  Nico scowled at her so hard she grinned cheekily.  “No, it’s just that I believe the words that are coming out of your mouth, but I don’t believe you can’t see how obvious it is that he’s totally into you.  And not just in the ‘I think I know but really I’m just giving you shitty advice.’  I mean really, truly.  He looks at you like…” her voice trailed off, a pensive expression clouding her face.

Nico shifted in his seat, waiting impatiently for the end of the thought.  After a moment, he sighed once more.  “Like what, Piper,” he asked, feeling both exasperated and bemused by the situation.

Flicking her hazel eyes his way, she stared at him hard, suddenly quite stoic.  “The same way you look at him when you don’t think anyone will notice.  Kind of lost and confused, with a mild hint of longing and a gentle softness directly in the middle.  Like someone who wants something they don’t think they’ll ever have and it breaks them up inside to no end.”

He was quiet for a moment in shocked silence, absorbing the words to their full extent.  After a pregnant beat, he furrowed his brow.  “I honestly don’t know how to respond to that.  I thought you were going to say like I hung the moon or whatever other cheesy things you normally do.  That was… actually a little depressing to hear.”

Lifting one arm up in a shrug, she offered him a wry smile.  “I didn’t say that it was the only way he looks at you.  But I do see it, in both of your eyes.  And honestly, Nico, you’ll never get anywhere without putting in a little bit of effort.  I know it’s terrifying, but inaction will only lead to a broken heart when the person you want gives up on waiting for you.  I know you don’t want that.”

Shoulders hunched, mouth a thin line, he stared hard at the cup resting gently between his loosely curled hands.  “I’m not exactly sure what I want, to be honest, Pipes.  Letting someone in and risking getting hurt isn’t as easy as it sounds to you.”

“I know,” she murmured, smiling softly with warm affection.  Patting him gently on the arm, she rose to her feet.  “Just think about it, okay?  Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.”

“Sports metaphors,” he asked with a cocked brow.  “Alright, Babe Ruth.”

Piper chuckled.  “Yeah, I’m running low on sage advice at the moment.  Just promise, alright?  You’ll at least consider coming forward and putting in a little bit of effort to get him back?”

“And if it doesn’t yield anything significant?  If he’s not even interested like you seem to think?”

“Then the worst that can happen is you have a really cute neighbor with a nice butt, which you have quite luckily seen completely exposed.”

Hiding his face in his hands, he felt the blush beginning to paint his cheeks.  “Please don’t remind me, I’m trying to forget that I’ve got to mention that to him one day.”

“What a great conversational piece,” Piper chirped.

Nico snorted.  “Yeah.  ‘Hey, neighbor.  Nice weather we’re having, hm?  Oh, and by the way, I’ve seen you naked before.  Well, bye now.’  I’m sure that’ll go over real smooth.”

“Never know unless you try,” she singsonged, shuffling over to the door and giving him an exaggerated and salacious wink.

“Hey Pipes,” he called, just before the girl disappeared from view.  Turning to look at him, he cracked a soft smile.  “Thanks.”

“It was my pleasure,” she murmured before leaving him there to his quiet resolve.

Pulling out his cellphone, he hovered over the messaging app for a moment, hands already shaking slightly from the fear pitted deep in his stomach.  Opening a new text conversation, he typed up Will’s number from memory, frowning hard at the fact he didn’t need to double check the well-worn business card crammed in a slot in his wallet.

“I’m pathetic,” he mumbled to empty space, fingers clicking away at the keys.  “And he probably won’t respond anyhow, and I’m wasting my time, and Piper is insane but…”  Biting his lip hard, he pressed send.

(12:15) Hey Will, I was wondering if you wanted to grab some lunch if you’re not too busy?

Seconds ticked by like hours, a whirlwind of anxiety and self-depreciation pummeling his insides like a churning storm.  Try as he might to drag his gaze from the screen, it stayed fixed there like his life depended on it.  Even long after the screen went black, sweaty hands still clutched the thin plastic in desperation, a mantra of ‘ _please please please, say something’_ echoing across his mind.

When the notification sound finally pinged sometime later, he nearly dropped the phone into his coffee in surprise, heart thumping about wildly in his chest.  Scrambling to unlock the damned device, his slickened fingers refused to recognize his prints and he growled in frustration as he swiped the backup pattern in the shape of a capital N.  What he saw on the screen nearly made him fall out of his seat.

(12:22) I’d love to.  I’m actually taking a break from painting, so I’ll clean up and meet you at the gallery.  1 o’clock work for you?

In a daze he somehow managed to get out a response before his limbs sagged with relief, body slumping forward onto the table.

(12:23) Sounds good.  See you then.

* * *

 

The jingle of the bell could be heard all the way into the back, the quiet murmur of surprised joy preceding Piper’s hurried footfalls by mere seconds before she flew into the room bursting with barely contained excitement.  Finding Nico still half laying on the table, she dragged him to his feet with astonishing strength, shaking him around by the shoulders like a ragdoll.

“I knew you could do it,” she stage-whispered jubilantly, hazel eyes twinkling with glee.  “Just a little push is all you needed.  Now get your ass out there and make momma proud.”

“You’re going to give me whiplash,” Nico huffed as he slipped from her grasp and straightened out his clothing unnecessarily.  The thought that Will was waiting for him mere feet away was both terrifying and elating all at once, so he did the only logical thing he could do and stalled in a blind panic.  “And please refrain from calling yourself my mother, Piper.  It’s creepy.”

Quirking a brow, a small smile tugged the ends of her mouth.  “Are you going to argue semantics all day or are you going to go out there and woo that boy?”

“Woo,” he asked incredulously.  With a hard shove from his ever-helpful friend, he stumbled into the hallway, nearly colliding with the door jam on the way out.

“Less talking more action,” Piper hissed with a menacing glare.

Bright sunlight spilled in through the large glass windows in the lobby, far more blinding than the dim fluorescent bulbs his eyes had adjusted to in the break room.  Will stood near the front desk, admiring a large piece of artwork set up on an easel to showcase the artist’s interesting use of oil paints, broad back turned just enough to hide his handsome face.

Even just the light catching off his golden hair caused Nico’s heart to accelerate inside his chest, emotions stirring together chaotically in a battle to overcome his overwhelming urge to flee.  He wouldn’t run, not from the uncertainty of the situation nor the fear of being rejected any longer.  It was time to face things head on, no matter the outcome.

Will turned at the sound of his approaching footsteps, blue eyes flickering from inquiry to surprise before settling on something warm and soft.  “Hey, there,” he said in his usual cheery tone as if the eighty-foot gap of distance betwixt the two of them was nothing more than Nico’s overactive imagination.  Perhaps it really was.

Smiling coolly in response, he stopped a comfortable distance away from the brilliant creature.  “Hi.  Long time no see.  Been busy?”

“I could ask you the same,” Will replied smoothly, tilting his head slightly to the side.  “Been busy, or are you normally this difficult to deal with?”

An unexpected laugh bubbled in Nico’s throat.  “Er… maybe a little of both," he half asked, half admitted sheepishly.  "Sorry.  I’m not the most sociable person.  I don’t normally do much other than work and sleep.  More work than sleep, unfortunately, especially lately.”

Will clicked his tongue distastefully.  “That’s completely unacceptable.  You know what they say about all work and no play.”

“I’ll try to be better in the future,” Nico promised.

“See that you do,” the other teased.  Stuffing his hands into his pockets in a lazy fashion, Will inclined his head toward the exit.  “Ready to head out?”

“Sure, let me just-“

“Leave already,” Piper growled so loudly it caused the two of them to jump in surprise. 

Blinking owlishly over at the scowling girl, he suddenly remembered just how public their exchange truly was.  Even Rachel’s green eyes were watching them from the hallway, a pleased little smile curling her lips.  Spinning on his heels, he tried his best to hide the sudden flush of his cheeks by scampering off toward the door.

“Be back in a little while.  Don’t burn the place down while I’m gone,” he called out without so much as a glance backward, the sound of warm laughter following close behind.

* * *

 

“The shipments all arrived last week, and we’ve managed to wrangle in a few of our close acquaintances to help out as servers for the evening, which means the event should go off without a hitch,” Nico babbled as the two of them awaited their food in the small café down the street. 

Will had offered to drive somewhere, but he’d turned down the offer, too afraid of awkward silences to spend any amount of time in a closed off car.  “I see,” he said, taking a sip from his water glass with an amused look on his face.

“I’m not sure how many people will be attending, but from the number of inquiries we’ve had since we put out the word, it looks like a fair number are at least interested.  Which is good.  For you, I mean.”  Will quirked a brow and the urge to word vomit intensified.  “And for us, of course.  Which is why I agreed to hold the event in the first place, it’s beneficial to the both of us and-“

“Did you ask me to lunch to talk about work,” Will cut him off with a teasing tone, resting his chin on his curled fist.  “That’s a shame, here I thought this was a date between friends.”

Heat rose to his face in response.  “Ah, well, I suppose you’re right.  Sorry.”  Drumming his fingers on the table, he racked his brain for something else to discuss.  All that came to mind were more topics relating to work.  Finally, he blurted the first thing to pop in that wasn’t about the upcoming gala.  “I’ve been thinking about getting into running in the mornings to stay healthy.”

_Wow, that was entirely stupid and completely obvious.  Way to go, di Angelo._

Will chuckled quietly, leaning back in his chair with a smile.  “Is that so?  Well, if you want any company I’d be happy to offer it.  I like to go for twenty-minute runs twice a day, but I could tweak my running schedule to fit yours, and we could start out slower and work up until you’re comfortable with the same thing.  I find having someone else around is a good motivator to keep at it.”

Nico paled at the thought but was too stubborn to admit it was the only thing he could come up with to keep the conversation flowing.  “Uh, sure?  I could… do that.”

“You weren’t really thinking about it, were you,” Will asked with a grin.  “That’s alright, I applaud your effort to switch gears.”

“Was it that obvious,” he mumbled with his own wry smile.

Will crinkled his nose in amusement.  “Only because you looked positively horrified at the thought.  And not just now but anytime I see you during my runs, you look like even the idea of running is exhausting you.”

Laughing outright, he shook his head.  “Sorry, running has never been something I outwardly choose to do.  It’s more of a necessary evil when the situation calls for it.  Plus, I love to sleep.  I don’t know how you can wake up so early just to go run around.”

“It’s not for everyone, I understand,” Will murmured.  “Still, if you ever change your mind…”

“You’ll be the first to know.”

“I look forward to it.”

A beat of silence passed between them, Nico dropping his gaze into his lap as a pang of sadness washed over him.  “I’m really sorry, Will,” he said, flicking his attention back up to a surprised looking expression.  “For the past little while, I’ve been kind of a jerk despite the fact you’ve been nothing but nice to me.  Work wise, as well as friend wise.”

Another thousand-watt smile graced his lips, blue eyes crinkling in the corners.  “Thank you, Nico.  You don’t have to apologize for anything, though.  You’re perfectly in the right to set your own pace when dealing with new people.  If you don’t want to be overly friendly, then don’t be.”

“I do, though.  I’m just… really horrible at any kind of relationship.  I’m pretty sure the only reason I even have friends is because they won’t leave me alone and now it’s kind of a permanent thing.  One hundred percent all them.”

“Does the same go for intimate relationships,” Will teased.

Nico flushed so hard he was pretty certain his face would remain stained pink indefinitely.  “Ah, yeah.  Haven’t had many of those and not for some years so… probably?  The last person I dated told me they got tired of waiting for me to pick up on their hints and just went for it.”

“Interesting.”

Before he had a chance to read too far into it, the waitress came and placed their plates in front of them, effectively killing the train of thought.  As he quietly ate his turkey club, he stole little glances at the other’s happy face, basking in the companionable silence that wrapped around the two of them like a warm blanket.  If things never progressed any further, this was enough.  It was all he needed.

Will ordered a slice of rich chocolate cake for dessert and kindly shared it with him as their conversation picked back up with a calming undertone he hadn't felt since their very first lunch excursion several weeks past.  The topic thankfully stayed well away from anything too serious, and as the two of them laughed and joked and teased one another, it was as if the slate had finally cleaned itself, the tension he'd been carrying around for far too long ebbing until it faded like a bad dream.  Perhaps it was.

After the meal they split the check and headed back out into the late afternoon sunshine, pausing at the entrance before they'd be forced to go their separate ways.

“Thanks again for the invite, Nico,” Will said with his usual too bright smile.  “It’s nice to get out of the house for more than just coffee breaks and a quick run.”

“You’re welcome,” he replied with a laugh.  The idea of twenty-minute runs being ‘quick’ was strangely endearing to him.  “You can swing by the gallery if you’re ever feeling particularly bored.  Rachel and Piper love any excuse not to actually do their jobs.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, though I’d be far more interested to see you.”

His heart skipped a beat, dark eyes flicking down in embarrassment.  “Ah, well, I suppose if you did stop by I could find a minute or two to visit,” he mumbled shyly.

Will hummed in amusement, taking a sudden step closer and planting a chaste peck on his cheek.  The warm scent of coconut shampoo flooded his senses as he gazed back up in shocked surprise, breath catching in his throat.

Brilliant blue regarded him softly, another dazzling smile curling the same full lips that had seconds before brushed against his skin.  “Don’t be a stranger,” he replied with a wink, turning on his heel and waltzing away like a gentle breeze.

Nico could do little more than watching him go with a stunned look, fingers ghosting over the tingling area as a fierce blush tinged his face the color of a summer sunset.

* * *

 

It took almost three times as long to get back to work as it had to walk to the café in the first place, which was probably for the best since it took nearly that long just to form coherent thoughts again.  How he'd managed to make it through the rest of the day without melting into a puddle of goo was a mystery, second only to the fact neither girl inquired about his encounter with Will despite the growing curiosity dancing across both of their expressions. 

Not that he’d even be able to answer them properly.  He wasn’t even positive what had transpired wasn’t all just a minor stroke on his part. Anything was possible.

By the time he’d closed up the gallery sometime after ten and gave up all attempt at his usual after hour duties, he was well past due for a cold shower and a long night’s sleep.  Shuffling into his apartment still halfway in a daze, he stood beneath the pelting torrent of icy water and replayed the day’s events in his mind.  Will’s eyes.  Will’s smile.  Will’s laugh.  They swirled through his thoughts like a pleasant daydream, sending shivers straight down his spine.

Even as he dried off, chasing away the cool sensation that seeped into his flesh with a soft cotton shirt and a silky pair of boxers, he could still feel the press of burning lips on his cheek.  Just as he resolved to curl up on the mattress, lulled to sleep by the blissful weightlessness fluttering through his chest, the phone on his night table let out a small ding.

Glancing at the clock, he wondered whether or not Piper had finally come around to grilling him for details.  It was well past due, in any case, and he was surprised she even made it this long, to begin with.

(10:59) You’re home earlier than usual.

Staring at the unexpected text with wide-eyed wonder, he swallowed down the urge to squeal like a teenage girl and quickly replied.

(11:00) How did you know that I’m home already?

(11:01) Your light was on.  I can see it from my room.

Dark eyes flicked to the thick crimson curtains, a smile curling his mouth.

(11:01) Stalker.

(11:02) It can’t be helped, I’m very observant.

Another text followed almost simultaneously.

(11:02) Actually, I was looking at the moon.  It’s full tonight.

Slipping from the bed, he peeled open the thick fabric at its center, thankful for the cover of darkness as a rapid blush rose to his face.

Will was partially hanging out the open window across from him, golden hair tousled and wet from what he figured must have been his own recent shower, dressed in nothing but those damnable flannel pajama bottoms, a soft grin pulling at his full lips.  Milky white moonlight painted his chiseled torso as he rose to his full height, offering up a gentle wave by way of greeting.

Images he’d never soon forget flitted through Nico’s mind as he slid the glass back in a rush of cooler air, a chorus of crickets chirping away in the distance.

“Hello, there, neighbor,” Will said cheerfully.  “Nice night for stargazing, or it would be if we could see the sky from here.”

“Stargaze half-dressed often,” he asked, quirking a brow to hide his embarrassment.  It was definitely not the time to let on that he had already seen ninety-nine percent of Will’s stunning form from that very window only a few short weeks prior.

A husky laugh spilled from the other’s throat.  “Not really, no.  I air out my room before bed whenever I paint in here and I just so happened to catch a glimpse of the moon in the process.  It’s so bright tonight, hard to miss.”

Nico flicked his eyes over to the horizon, noting the swollen orange orb in its place just shy of the thick expanse of trees in the distance.  “I suppose it is,” he mumbled glancing back at the other with a shy smile.  “I’m sure your balcony would make a better place to stargaze, though.”

“But then I’d be without the company,” Will teased with a wink.  “Unless you wanted to come over and join me?” 

The suggestive undertones in the other's words were probably just Nico's imagination, but they sent his brain into a short-circuiting tizzy nonetheless.  “I was just heading to bed when you texted,” he blurted awkwardly, heart hammering wildly in his ears.  At Will’s soothing chuckle, he ventured on to amend his embarrassed response.  “Perhaps another night, when I don’t have to work early in the morning?  Like, maybe over the weekend?”

“I’ll look forward to it, then," Will breathed, blue eyes heavily lidded and far too sultry for his own good.  "Have a good night, Nico.”

“You, too.  Goodnight.”

“Sweet dreams.”

"Sweet dreams, Will."

Smiling bashfully, he closed the window up once more and crawled back into bed feeling like somebody had injected liquid starlight straight into his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My way of appeasing the fanfic gods, a fluffy fluff filled with happiness!  
> Steady progress, people. Despite the horrid wait, I can't just throw them together after all that crap back in the other two chapters.  
> I mean, I could, but I'm not going to just yet. (feel that buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurn)
> 
> Did anything even happen in this chapter? Not really.  
> I just felt terrible about going from light and breezy to, as a friend pointed out, heavy. Sorry I didn't throw some more naked butt back into the mix like you wanted! Is shirtless Will close enough? :3
> 
> I promise I'll try to do something better next time. Try.  
> I shouldn't make promises, I'm horrible at keeping them when it comes to writing. v.v
> 
>  
> 
> Hit me up on Tumblr - Cherrypie62666  
> And thanks for sticking with my bipolar butt.  
> <3


	10. Why isn't this a kissing chapter yet?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How to make an author update quickly -  
> Step one, shame them thoroughly  
> Step two, beg them nicely to update  
> Step three, get the update
> 
> Perhaps it only works for me.

(9:45 PM) Please tell me you like hot cocoa and I didn't just waste my time making it from scratch...

(9:45 PM) Is it too warm out for cocoa?

(9:46 PM) You know what, I don’t care, I’ve already made it.  You'll have some and like it.  I’ll even add a little something special if you’re good and don’t complain.

_(9:46 PM) Wow, and here I thought I only signed up for stargazing.  Good to know your intentions are pure._

(9:47 PM) I wasn’t even trying to make that sound suggestive, so who is the one with the dirty mind, here?

(9:49 PM) Seriously, Nico, how long does it take to walk down some stairs?  The cocoa is going to be lukewarm at best.

Rolling his eyes, he stuffed his phone back into his pocket, rapping his knuckles softly on the metal door.  Anxious energy thrummed through his entire body, the urge to run away so strong he had to bite his lip hard and plant his feet.

_It’s only a little social interaction.  Seriously, you’ve got this.  Maybe.  Hopefully.  On second thought, this was a horrible idea and you should run while you still can.  China sounds lovely._

The door opened with a whoosh, warm air rushing out to dance across his chilled skin.  The scent of chocolate was unmistakable, mixing with the familiar aroma of Will’s cologne and coconut shampoo until his head began to spin so hard he swore he might faint.

“Well, I guess both of my worries were unfounded.  It’s definitely chillier than it was an hour ago,” the voice in front of him said, snapping his attention back with a sudden jolt.

Warmth pooled in his cheeks, eyes skittering back and forth over a pair of ridiculously blue ones.  “That’s only one worry,” Nico said with a nervous quirk of the mouth, already feeling a little bit shy.  “What was the other one?”

Something tender flickered in Will’s gaze, so warm and sweet in made his heart rate kick up into overdrive.  “I was beginning to think you might have changed your mind.”

“And miss out on whatever vague special addition you’ll add to my cocoa if I’m good," he asked, perhaps a bit louder than was absolutely necessary. Clearing his throat, he shook his head and smiled.  "I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Will chuckled softly as he stepped out of the way, gesturing inside with a swoop of his hand.  “After you, then,” he purred, voice like crushed velvet.

Nico obliged, albeit a little awkwardly, shuffling into the familiar room with two clenched fists hanging stiffly at his sides.  "Thanks," he mumbled, trying to quash the chaotic feelings waring in his gut.  The urge to flee.  The urge to throw up.  The urge to grab that stupid beautiful man by the shoulders and shake him wildly until he stopped being such a god damned flirt.

_Wow, I really need to snap out of it._

“I’ve managed to finish setting up the whole patio area this afternoon, so you wouldn’t have the opportunity to think less of me when you saw it in disarray,” Will murmured from somewhere behind him, closing the door with a lilt of humor to his voice.

Turning back toward his brightly smiling face, Nico felt himself begin to relax, hands unfurling as he quirked a brow at the other man incredulously.  “What did it look like before, then?”

“You really don’t want to know.”

The second brow rose up in amusement, a smirk curling one side of his mouth.  "That bad, hm?  Now I'm doubly curious."

Will shook his head and bit his lip, raking a reluctant hand through his golden locks.  “You’ve seen my studio, I’ll let your imagination fill in the rest.”

“So, you really are a secret packrat,” Nico teased, unable to stop the grin from taking over his face.  Despite the clean and tidy living space with its refined taste and minimal clutter, something about Will’s storage and workroom had struck a chord with him.  It was like a refreshing breath of air, knowing even sex-gods could have flaws, minor though they might be.  “I know you said it was just a hatred of unpacking, but now I’m beginning to think that was a hasty cover-up.”

“Ah, you’ve caught me.  And here I was hoping I could fool you indefinitely,” the other quipped, blue eyes sparkling with soft amusement.  Taking a large step closer, warmth radiated from his body in a blissful wave as he tilted his head to the side and smiled wickedly.  “Guess I’ll just have to make up for it later.”

Swallowing hard, Nico ignored the suggestive undertone and pivoted toward the sliding glass door, catching a glimpse of two lawn chairs set up in the darkness beyond the sheer curtains, painted only by the light of the waning moon.  It was just a day past its fullest point, still bright and swollen in the inky sky, and he wondered briefly if it wouldn’t minimalize the glow of the stars.

“What is this special addition you spoke of anyway,” he asked, glancing back after a beat to find the other already gone.

Will’s voice floated over to him from the kitchen, holding up a small bottle of amber colored liquid by the neck and giving it a slight shake.  It swirled and sloshed up the clear glass, settling momentarily into a tiny vortex before dying out.  “A little brandy, just to add some extra warmth into the mix.”

“I shudder to think of your idea of the term ‘little’, seeing as how you poured me so much wine the last time I was over I could hardly stand,” Nico replied dryly, folding arms loosely across his chest.

A thrum of deep laughter spilled from Will’s lips, echoing through the room and bouncing off the walls.   Shaking his head good-naturedly, he brought over two steaming mugs, offering one of them up with a sly smile.  “I’ll let you choose how much you want if it’ll ease your distress.”

“Something tells me you’d prefer if I was drunk more often,” he quipped.

“Perhaps.  You do tend to open up and relax better once you’ve had a drink.”  Dropping his voice to a low hum, Will quirked a brow.  “I am curious to know just how relaxed you could get, and what that would entail.”

Nico’s cheeks flared with heat, mouth going Sahara-desert kind of dry.  His first instinct was to turn around and run off screaming into the night, but he managed to wrestle it down.  Somehow.  Instead, he brought his cup to his lips and took a small sip of the contents.

Rich chocolatey sweetness coated his mouth, the hint of something fruity dancing across his tongue.  Humming low in appreciation, he flicked his eyes down to the frothy drink, watching the foam on the top spiral from the center like a miniature sun.  “This is actually really good.  I don’t know if I want to ruin it with brandy.”

“It’s Grand Marnier, so it’s technically an orange-flavored liqueur,” he chirped with another one of his dazzling smiles.  “And I promise it tastes great with cocoa.”

Glancing back up, Nico smiled wryly.  “Pretty sure you’d say that even if it didn’t.”

Blue eyes shone brightly with mischief despite the dramatic gasp that left the other’s lips.  “I would never.”

Narrowing his own skeptically, he hummed in disbelief.  “If it’s horrible, you’re making me another cup.”

The laugh that bubbled up Will’s throat caused his heart to thunder against his ribcage, stomach doing somersaults in response to the melodic sound.  “Alright, deal,” he teased, gaze turning soft and warm and tender.  Inclining his head toward the balcony, a grin split his face.  “Shall we, then?  I guarantee it’ll be tastier still under the light of the moon and stars.”

Crisp spring air swirled around him as he followed out onto the little balcony, slightly easing the heat of his still flushed skin.  The view was exactly the same as from his own apartment, down to the cliffs in the distance speckled with lush green trees that cut off dramatically as they tumbled into the tumultuous ocean below.

From their vantage point of three stories, the town spread out endlessly to the right of him like a picturesque village from a fairytale, yellow-orange glow twinkling across the landscape as the stars reflected the same patterns above into infinity.

“It’s beautiful,” he commented, eyes sweeping over the whole of the scene with wonder.  “I’ve never really taken the time to look, but it’s actually really peaceful up here.”

“I’m glad,” Will murmured beside him, resting his arms on the metal railing and smiling over at him brightly.  “I think we should all take a little more time to appreciate the simpler beauties in the world.  Never know when something wonderful is sitting right under your nose.”

Nico smirked in response, gazing out at the vast expanse of sky.  A gentle breeze kicked up, the scent of saltwater rich on his tongue.  “I never really do much aside from focusing my attention on work.  You’re probably right, though, I should take some more time to relax a bit.”

“Then we should make a habit out of this, for your sake.”

Quirking a brow, he stared over at the other incredulously.  “I don’t really think the novelty will last long if we stargaze too often,” he replied after a pregnant beat, glancing back out with a frown.  “Besides, the light pollution makes it hard to see much, to begin with.”

Will chuckled, low and smooth, curling a fist beneath his chin.  “I was referring to the act of just relaxing and doing something that wasn’t work-related, but it’s cute how you think I’m a secret space junkie.”

“You mean you’re not,” he deadpanned, eliciting another laugh that caused his heart to skip a beat.  Pulling his lower lip between his teeth, he bit it, dropping his gaze down shyly.  “So, this cocoa is going to be cold if we don’t drink it soon…” his voice trailed off, eyes flicking back up a bit timidly.

Will smiled at him warmly.  “That it will be."

“I’m prepared to add a little brandy since you insist on its enjoyable pairing with chocolate,” Nico continued, darting his eyes over to the little table set up between the two chairs if only to avoid the other’s gaze.

Will’s mug was set next to the bottle of brandy, curls of steam dancing through the chilly air.

“Have a seat, it also pairs well with relaxation,” he murmured from far closer than expected, causing Nico to jolt in surprise and tense up as he shuffled over hurriedly and plopped down.

The moonlight spilling down on them was more than enough to see by, so he sat back on the cool metal chair, clasping the warm cup in both hands and shivering slightly.  Will held the bottle out to him, but he shook his head, offering up his drink up with a timid smile.  “I wouldn’t know the proper ratio for these things.  I trust you not to mess it up.”

A curious look flickered on his face before he nodded and tipped the thing over the cup.  “Well, I hope I don’t disappoint, then,” he said softly, and it sounded almost like it might have meant something more.

The taste was sweet, a gentle heat pooling deeper in his stomach with each new sip.  As the stars twinkled faintly above them, dusted lightly over the clear black sky, he sank steadily into that growing sense of calm that wrapped its arms around him like a loving embrace.

“How is it,” Will asked, voice a quiet hum beside him.

Nico cast his gaze back out into the serene night, a contented sigh spilling past his lips.  “It’s perfect.”

* * *

 

Piper sat in the chair in the breakroom, glaring daggers at the oblivious idiot on the other side of the table from her, waiting for him to notice.  Lifting her cup of coffee to her lips, she took a slow and noisy slurp.

Not that she thought he would.  Notice, that is.  For the past day and a half Nico had become so absorbed in his phone, she could hardly recognize him at all.  A bomb could go off in the same room, the sprinklers overhead could turn on and begin drenching the entire place in icy cold water, and Nico would still be glued to the tiny screen without so much as a glance up.

That didn’t stop her from the occasional eyebrow quirk and snarky comment whenever he did finally make eye contact.  It was so cute how he thought he was being sly about it, too.

Nico di Angelo was many things, but sly was regrettably not one of them.  His transparency was laughable.  His denseness would be, too, if it wasn’t also infuriatingly sad.  If the guy had something on his mind, you could tell from a mile away, even without knowing him all that well.  And when he lied, on the rare occasion that he did, he got this strange twitch in his left eye, like it was physically painful for him to do so. 

Of course, he didn’t know these things about himself, or he’d probably try harder to change them.  That was part of why she loved her dearest idiot of a friend.  To the moon and back.

He’d alluded thus far as to with whom he was speaking, but anyone could tell just by the dumb grin permanently plastered on his face.  Will’s name had been written with tiny hearts above his head for days now, floating there brightly with neon lights flashing and rainbow-colored confetti raining down all around him.  In short, the guy was without a doubt the most lovesick dork in the whole city, second only to the other dork who felt the same way about him.

And yet the two still hadn’t so much as confessed their love to one another, though why not was anyone’s guess.  It could have had something to do with Nico’s inability to pick up on not-so-subtle flirting.  And, okay, maybe Will was a take-it-molasses-slow kind of guy.  Both were no doubt afraid of the other’s rejection.  In her opinion, they were just too stupid to see all of the glaringly obvious and absolutely perfect opportunities sitting right in front of their faces.

Clearing her throat, she set her cup down with a smidge more force than was necessary, worrying for a second that she might have broken it in the process.  “Texting Will,” she asked in a falsely nonchalant voice, composing her features to one of expert innocence.

Nico’s dark eyes ripped away from the device in a panic, narrowing slightly as they regarded her with obvious distrust.  “No.  It’s Hazel.  Why?”

“Just curious,” she replied lightly, twirling a finger around the lip of her mug.  “You seem to be enjoying the conversation, is all.”

“We’re discussing something funny that Frank did.”

“Oh, and what’s that?”

“He knocked over one of those stacks of cans in the grocery, and then kept knocking it down again when he tried to help the employees clean it up.  Eventually, they had to ask Hazel to please take him away before he hurt himself and someone else in the process,” Nico intoned in an almost rehearsed sort of way, and despite the fact his eye didn’t twitch once, she’d bet ten bucks that it wasn’t the current subject matter.

Not quite a lie, but definitely not the full truth.   _He’s getting better at this.  I’m proud._

Humming low in her throat, she smiled sweetly.  “That is pretty funny.  When did this all go down?”

“This weekend,” he mumbled as his attention was dragged back with a ping from his phone.  The look on his face turned whimsical and dreamy, a clear indication that his sister was not the recipient.

“What’s she saying now,” Piper asked with a tilt of the head, pushing her luck just enough to border on dangerous territory.  If she tried too hard, he’d snap at her to mind her business or get back to work.  It was always a joy to see just how far she’d be able to run with something.

Thumbs tapped out his clumsy response, a crease of concentration forming between his brows.  Locks of dark hair obscured one eye from view, but the other one was still glassy and soft.  “Just more stuff about Frank.”

“Well, then, I guess I’ll leave you to it, Neeks.  Break time is almost over, don’t forget you still need to call the newspaper about the misprint before they close at four.”  He glanced up momentarily and she grinned.  “Be sure to tell  _Hazel_  I said hi and that I’ll see her soon for our lunch date this weekend.”

Something akin to panic spasmed on his face, and it gave her deep satisfaction to have ruffled his feathers thusly.  With a tight-lipped quirk of his mouth, Nico nodded stiffly.  “Alright, I’ll relay the message to her.”

Rising from her seat, she sashayed out of the room with a quiet snicker.

* * *

 

Jason was reading by the light of a small bedside lamp, listening to his girlfriend rant about her day.  His eyes skimmed the page, never really absorbing much of the content before she’d start off on a whole new tangent, and he’d have to reread the same line another five times to fully understand it. 

It was kind of adorable, really.

“I’m about to lock them in a room together and throw away the key.  Seriously, I don’t know how much more of this I can take,” she whined, pacing back in forth in front of the bed dressed in nothing but a turquoise silk nighty and a ridiculously cute pair of oversized Spiderman slippers.  Choppy pieces of chestnut hair fell into her hazel eyes, the majority of it pulled up high atop her head in a messy bun.

Jason turned another page, a small hum of agreement rumbling deep in his throat.  “Mhm.”

“He’s been walking around with googly eyes for literal days now, and I just can’t anymore.  I can’t take all of this pining and mooning and soft sighing at his cellphone.  And he seriously acts like no one can tell what he’s doing or who he’s talking to.”

“I see.”

“I don’t understand him.  I don’t understand either of them.  They just keep dancing around the situation while the rest of us are going crazy watching it.  I’m like, why can’t you both just kiss already and get it over with?  You could cut the sexual tension whenever they’re in the room together with a knife!”

Glancing up from the book, he watched her movement for a moment with a small smile.  A crease marred her brow, features tight with agitation.  Arms flailed wildly about as she punctuated sentences with theatrical hand gestures and bulging eyes.

“Pipes,” he called out softly, seeing if it would grab her attention.  It didn’t.

“But it’s not like I can just come right out and say that, you know?  I even pulled Will aside and poked a little here and there, got him to admit he thinks Nico is cute.  Cute!  And if I told Nico that, he’d never believe me.  He’d find a way to deny the truth or tell me I’m reading into things too much.  Probably accuse me of asking loaded questions in order to get the answers I’m looking for.  Hah!  As if I don’t have better things to do.”

“Babe.”

“Honestly, that guy would deny there was a hole in the boat while it filled with water up until it capsized.”

“Piper,” he singsonged, folding up his reading glasses and setting them on the oak nightstand.  Rising to his feet, he padded across the plush carpet.

“And then!  Then he’d probably look at you like you hadn’t been sitting there telling him about the danger the entire time.  Like you weren’t pointing directly at the issue as he turned his head and plugged his ears.”

Jason caught her mid-pace by the shoulders, eliciting a little gasp of surprise.  Hazel eyes blinked owlishly up at him, looking as if they’d just acknowledged his presence for the first time. 

Chuckling softly, he shook his head.  “As much as I love hearing about Nico and his love life, it’s time for bed now.”

“But-“ 

Bending down, he closed her open mouth with a gentle kiss.  “You can worry about it more after you get a good night’s sleep.”

“How am I supposed to sleep when all of this is at the forefront of my mind,” she protested with a heavy sigh, allowing him to lead her by the hand over to the large mattress.

Sitting down on the edge, he pulled her close by the hips, blue eyes sparkling up at her as a charming smile curled his lips.  “I can think of a few ways to take your mind off of it,” he purred.

“Oh?  And how do you plan to go about that,” she asked in an equally low and sultry tone, slipping arms up his chest before hooking them loosely behind his neck.

“If you promise to leave all talk of Nico until tomorrow, I’ll show you.”

“Deal.”

* * *

 

(11:15 AM) What are you wearing right now?

(11:15 AM) If it’s those horrible pajama pants, I’m dragging you out shopping ASAP.  No exceptions.

(11:16 AM) Don’t think I won’t know if you change them real fast.  I have my ways.

It took all of his composure not to crack a smile, rising from his desk and flinging open the curtains with an unamused look playing on his face.  Thankfully, he’d actually gotten dressed that morning, and not just in the first articles he could find crumpled up on the floor. 

Pink leopard print was the last thing you wanted to show off to your sex god of a neighbor.  Especially twice.

_Memo to self, burn those pajama pants before anyone sees them ever again._

Will beamed at him from across the narrow gap in the buildings, leaning partially out the window as the wind blew gently through his golden hair.  His cellphone was held loosely in one hand, the other raising up to offer a quick wave in greeting.

Nico quirked a brow, sliding open the glass and shaking his head slightly in exasperation.  “I’ll have you know, my sister gave me those last Christmas.  She said they were her favorite and most comfortable pair, so I should also have one.”

“That’s really unfortunate.  Are you sure she wasn’t secretly laughing at you for accepting them without a second thought?  Sisters can be quite evil when they want to be, I would know.”

Unable to hold it back any longer, the corners of his mouth quirked in amusement.  “You have my attention.  Is there something you needed from me?”

Tilting his head to the side, Will hummed in contemplation, tapping a finger to his chin.  “Let’s see,” he began, pausing momentarily for dramatic effect.  Finally, he shook his head and grinned.  “Not really, no.  I was just in the area and thought I’d drop by.”

“There are better places to meet, you know.  Like, the front door, perhaps?”

“I prefer to live life dangerously,” the other man teased, offering up a cheeky wink like it wasn’t the most embarrassing thing in the world to do just then.  It totally was.

Snorting derisively, he rolled his eyes.  “I’m so sure.”

Another chuckle rumbled in Will’s chest, sounding pleasant, if not a little breathy.  “You caught me.  I’m taking a break and wanted some company.  A certain someone came to mind, for some reason or another.”

Glancing down at the cell phone held loosely between his fingers, Nico couldn't help but smirk.  “You’re going to break that thing if you’re not careful.  And then how will you continue to pester me randomly throughout the day?”

Tossing the thing up with a flick of his wrist, Will caught it with ease.  “I have my ways,” he murmured, voice low and smooth and sexy. 

“And do these ways involve throwing rocks at my window at all hours of the night?  Because if so, I’d prefer you didn’t drop your phone from a three-story height.”

A grin split his face, blue eyes twinkling with mischief.  “And here I was thinking of something with a little more pizzazz.  Rocks would work, too.”

“Please don’t,” he groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, immediately regretting feeding the fire.  Sometimes it slipped his mind that the man was a horrible and unabashed tease by nature.

“No, no, now the thought is in there.  It’ll take something huge to push it back out again.”

Heaving a sigh, Nico leaned back into the window jamb, crossing his arms comfortably over his chest.  “Isn’t there something else you should be doing right now?  Like painting?  For a certain thing that just so happens to be in a week?”

“I haven’t the slightest idea what you’re going on about,” Will deadpanned.

“I’m leaving.”  Kicking off the wall, he grabbed the curtain and made to do just that.

“Okay, okay,” the other cried with a laugh, swiping a hand through his wind-tousled hair.  Blue eyes raked over Nico’s body slowly, paying special attention to his tight black jeans before snapping back up to his face.  Tilting his head, a sexy smile pulled his lips.  “Has anyone ever told you that you’re something of a workaholic?  Or am I your first?”

“Shameless flirting will get you nowhere,” he scolded, hoping that the warmth he felt pooling in his cheeks was less than noticeable in the slight darkness of his room.  Not that he cared if it was apparent.  Who wouldn’t turn red after all the crap he’d endured for days on end?  “Now go finish up, or I won’t come over later.”

Will chuckled once more, pushing himself off the windowsill with another cheeky wink.  “Aye aye, captain.”

Rolling his eyes, he closed the curtains back up, allowing the gentle breeze to continue to flutter the fabric softly.

Things had been moving along smoothly for the past week, Will becoming something of a constant in his day to day routine.  It was undeniable that the two had formed some kind of friendship, but whether or not it was something  _more_  than that was still woefully unclear.

Despite many late-night chats through their windows, numerous texts throughout the day almost every day since they’d exchanged numbers, and even a surprise coffee date in the middle of his workweek, nothing more had transpired.  They talked.  They flirted.  They went to sleep.

Will was just being Will, and Nico was begrudgingly learning to accept his fate.

Piper wasn’t as convinced as he was, moaning to him any chance she could get about how he should just suck it up and make a move already.  He couldn’t deny the fact that what he was feeling was definitely something more than a crush.  He could, however, continue to keep those emotions buried deep down where not even Will’s sunshine smiles could reach them.

Shaking his head to rid it of his thoughts, he immersed himself once more in the mundane tasks that helped to ease his troubled mind.  There was laundry to be done, bills to be paid, emails he’d yet to finish sending.  If he had the time to dwell on his woes, he had the time to improve some other area in his life, at least a little bit.

Glancing at the clock, he heaved another sigh.  Perhaps someday soon he’d be able to stop doing that.

***

A knock sounded, pulling his gaze up from the blinding light of the computer screen and over toward the door.  The sun had set without his notice, the room dark and chilly from the still-open window.  Rubbing hard at his bleary eyes with the tips of his fingers, he twisted out the kink in his back before checking the time.

 _That explains the aches_ , he thought wryly.

Slipping from the chair, he shuffled into the hall just as another incessant knock sounded.  “I’m coming,” he huffed out, recognizing the annoying beat instantly.  Pulling opened the door, he leaned against the jamb with a soured expression.  “What?”

Golden eyes stared back at him, brow flicking up with a hint of sass.  “Hello, to you too, dear brother.  And here I was respecting your wishes and not abusing the spare key you gave me.”

“You never respect my wishes.  Unless you’re up to something worse.”  Narrowing his eyes, he regarded her with suspicion.  “Why are you here.  On a Saturday night.  When you’re normally with Frank?”

Hazel batted her eyelashes at him with faux innocence.  “What, your loving sister isn’t allowed to come visit her wonderful big brother for their bi-monthly hang out sessions?”  Pouting out her lower lip in an exaggerated fashion, she dropped her tone to one of sickly sweetness.  “Don’t tell me you forgot our promise to see each other more often?  I’m hurt.”

“Yeah, yeah.”  Rolling his eyes, he kicked off the wall and shuffled back into the room, making a beeline for the couch.  “Just save us both some time and tell me why you’re really here.  There are things I have to do later.”

“These things wouldn’t happen to involve a cute face and nice ass, would they?”

Spinning back around, he regarded his sister with a wholly horrified expression.  “Hazel!”

She cackled gleefully and crossed the threshold, kicking the door closed with her foot.  “Remind me to jot down a list of all the cringe-worthy things I’ve said so I can relay them to Frank at a later time.  He never quite believes your reactions, and I feel like I’m failing to do the comments justice by paraphrasing.”

“Were you corrupted to be this evil, or was I just blind to it my whole life?”

“Maybe a little of both,” she quipped, golden eyes dancing with delight.  Plopping onto the barstool at the pitifully unused breakfast nook, she swiveled it around a few times before tucking hair behind her ear.  “So…”

“So,” he parroted back, quirking a brow at her obvious nervous energy.  “Are you going to actually tell me why you’ve shown up out of the blue?  Or are we going to sit here all-night dancing around the subject?”

Blowing a raspberry quite childishly, she grinned.  “I had lunch with Piper today.”

“And?”

“And,” she mimicked, scrunching up her nose and faking a rather pinched and grumpy expression.  He figured it was probably a poor imitation of his own unamused look, exaggerated though it might have been.  “She told me that you and I have been talking quite a bit as of late.”  Tilting her head to the side, an obnoxiously toothy smile split her face.  “Do tell, and here I thought we only exchanged the occasional phone call or hastily typed email?”

“You could have called for something like that,” he deadpanned.

“Nico!”

“What?”

“Explain yourself!”

Flopping back onto the cushions, he pulled a pillow over his face and sighed heavily.  “Don’t wanna,” he mumbled petulantly.

“Nico,” she repeated, tone motherly in its disapproval.

“Nope.”

“Nico…”

“Remind me to kill Piper.”

“Nico di Angelo!”

Smacking the thing off, he sat up, rubbing an exasperated hand down his face.  “This is exactly why I don’t talk about things with you people.”  She gave him a pointed look and he rolled his eyes.  “Okay, until they’re long over and completely done with.  You jump to conclusions, and I really don’t need more of that in my life.  I get enough badgering from Piper, and now Rachel, too.”

Pursing her lips, she crossed arms over her chest.  “What are you doing later tonight, and why do you want me to leave?”

A steady blush rose to his cheeks unwarrantedly.  “Nothing,” he muttered.

“Good, then you won’t mind my staying the night.”  He shot her a horrified expression and she smiled evilly.  “Frank had to pull double shifts and my roommate is out of town, so I’m too nervous to stay home all by myself.  I came because I knew my poor, innocent, lonely big brother could stand to use a little company since he has no one in his life aside from me and Piper.”

“You… but I… and you…” frowning, he flopped back down and huffed.  Waving a dismissive hand in her general direction, he retrieved the cellphone from his pocket and hastily swiped out a text.  “Fine, but the couch isn’t comfortable, and I hope you get a stiff back from sleeping on it.”

“I love you, too,” she singsonged back.

(8:45 PM) My sister stopped by without telling me, so we’re going to have to reschedule.  Unfortunately, she’s staying the whole night, or I’d just catch you after.

Throwing an arm over his eyes, he sighed dramatically.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JUST KISS ALREADY.  
> Oh, wait.  
> I'm the one in control of that...  
> Carry on, then. :)
> 
> Seriously, guys, I know that I am horrible and dragging this out into infinity, and I promise I will smack myself back into shape real soon. I have been trying so hard to cross that finish line while simultaneously providing a decent story that isn't rushed or wonky or.....  
> My god, reading the past chapters compared to these few newer ones, I was blown away by how funny it was and then kicking myself for losing that!  
> So, the end of this chapter might have changed to reflect that, and I might have twisted my own arm into providing ONE EXTRA chapter that fits into the same vein as before. And then, yes, I will end it. I promise.  
> No need to beat a dead horse, eh? ^^
> 
> I know, the opinion is probably on the fence between "finish it" and "never finish it, just write this forever and actually update like you used to, you horrible cow", but I am soooooooooooo beyond ready to have it over with that the Piper/Jason POV was literally me ranting about it until it turned into Piper. >.>  
> And then I couldn't leave it out because it was literally stuck in my head, and why waste content when I can just throw it at everyone and hide my face in utter shame?  
> Exactly, rolling with it makes more sense.
> 
> I'm going to finish this fic, guys. Soon. I promise.  
> Don't let me rest peacefully until I do, okay?  
> The harder you pester me, the more likely I am to listen.
> 
> Hit me up on Tumblr - Cherrypie62666


	11. Why did I write this and post it four days after the last update?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Says I won't slack.  
> Immediately writes the following chapter the very next day.  
> Agonizes over the fact I can't post in good conscience until I've given it a minute for everyone to check out the previous update.  
> Probably will slack afterward because I'm a jerk and now I've patted myself on the back for two updates in a single week.  
> Sigh.
> 
> Please ignore all my self-indulgence in what you are about to read.

“Quit sulking,” his sister demanded from someplace directly above him. It was hard to pinpoint exactly whereabouts as his eyes were still covered by his forearm, but it was most likely accompanied by hands on hips and a sour expression turned his way.

“I’m not-“ the rest of his retort was cut off by the sudden heavy mass that assaulted his being. Breath whooshing from his lungs, he choked and spluttered before pushing the girl off and onto the couch, glaring daggers at her attempt at feigning innocence. “Jesus, Hazel,” he wheezed, rubbing the pain from his chest. “Could you warn a person before you drop onto them like a thousand-pound weight?”

“Rude,” she gasped, smacking at his arm with a scowl. “How dare you call a lady a thousand-pound weight. We’re delicate creatures, I’ll have you know.”

“Didn’t feel delicate,” he muttered under his breath, rolling off the couch with a loud thump to avoid further assault. Pain blossomed up his backside, the world teetering as his head spun and spots danced in his vision. A smile curled one side of his mouth, despite all of that. “Not gonna lie, that really hurt.”

“Serves you right,” Hazel singsonged, tapping his ribcage with her shoe. Leaning forward, she smirked down at him and quirked a brow. “Gonna lay there all night, then?”

Gazing up at the popcorn ceiling, he shrugged. “I don’t know, the carpet is pretty plush and comfortable. I was seriously considering it.”

Rolling her eyes, she hopped up and offered down a hand. “Since you’re so adamant about not telling me what you’d prefer to be doing tonight, or should I say _who_ , I suggest we order take out and watch bad horror movies.” Pulling him to his feet, she grinned. “I’m in the mood for a little Chinese.”

“Is that a Frank sex pun, or do you actually want to _get down_ on some dim sum?”

A bark of laughter spilled past her lips, wiping at her tearing eyes with the side of her loosely curled fist. “Wait, was that?”

“Honestly,” he said, running a hand over the back of his neck sheepishly. Glancing at her sidelong, he flicked an eyebrow up cheekily, trying his best to fight down a smile. “Now that the thought is there, it would be _hard_ -pressed to be anything but.”

“Stoooop,” she cried gleefully.

“Does Frank know you call him a _little Chinese_ or is that just some weird kind of foreplay I’m not aware of. You straight people and your strange mating rituals confuse me.”

Another fit of laughter doubled her over, clutching at her stomach as she gasped for breath. “Seriously, Nico,” she wheezed between guffaws, “my stomach is already in enough pain as is. You’re killing me here.”

“You’re lucky I’m too lazy to make that into another one,” he quipped, bypassing the hyperventilating girl and beelining for the kitchen. Various takeout menus were pinned to the black refrigerator with kitschy magnets he’d acquired over the years. Finding the one he wanted under a gauche yellow banana, he plucked it off and held it in the air. “This is probably the best place still open that delivers here. It’s not the most diverse of options, but their fried rice and sweet and sour pork are to die for.”

“Oh oh, what about lo-mein,” she asked, falling back onto the couch and kicking up her feet. Thankfully, her shoes were gone, or he’d have to beat her for putting them on his nice couch. “I would kill for some house special lo-mein and wonton soup.”

“Coming right up,” he hummed, pulling the phone from his pocket and accessing the delivery app.

Hazel was quiet for a minute before her curiosity got the better of her. “What are you doing,” she asked skeptically, narrowing her eyes as he continued to scroll through the online menu. “You’re not texting your boyfriend or whatever, I hope? I’m half-starved as it is.”

Flicking dark eyes up he gave the girl a withering look. “No,” he snapped, then proceeded to complete the order and send it off. The delivery time claimed it would be at their door in thirty or less. He didn’t expect it for at least an hour, given their past history and incompetence. “It’s the twenty-first century. There’s an app for everything now.” After a beat, he scowled. “And I don’t have a boyfriend, thanks.”

“Oh, that’s right. You’re too scared to make a move so you’re stuck in limbo.” Smiling sweetly, she tilted her head to the side. “I must have forgotten, though I’m not entirely sure as to how I could have.”

Rubbing a hand down his face, he shook his head in exasperation. “I’m going to leave you out here by yourself and hang out on my computer all night if you don’t stop with the cheeky comments,” he threatened incisively. “I get enough of them at work. This is my day off, not my day to listen to more of the same.”

“Alright, alright,” Hazel said with a throaty chuckle, curling her knees up to her chest and patting the spot next to her feet in invitation. “I promise I will hold off on the relationship bashing for the night. As much as I would love to know the gritty details of your love life, I know you’ll eventually give them to me in time. So, I’ll be patient.”

“Thank you,” he sniffed, acquiescing and sitting beside her on the couch. The moment he was down, she placed her legs on his lap and beamed. “But since there is no love life to speak of, you will be waiting quite a long time.”

“We’ll see,” she chirped.

Heaving a tired sigh, he left it at that.

* * *

The knock sounded in the middle of their search for a good movie to watch, Nico handing over the Apple remote and springing to his feet. Hazel hardly even flicked her eyes away from the screen as he went, curling up into the side of the couch and continuing through the Netflix recommendations list with a glazed over expression.

Opening the door with a smile, it dropped almost instantly as he gaped at the person on the other side in surprise. Instead of slamming the door closed and locking the deadbolt hastily, he settled on a quirked brow by way of greeting. “You are not the Chinese I ordered.”

“Sorry, no dim sum here,” Will said with a chuckle, holding up a canvas bag in one hand for him to see. “But I do have beer and really horrible B movies with questionable plotlines and subpar acting skills. That’s got to count for something.”

Hazel dove across the couch, craning her neck over the arm to get a better view. “Oh, oh, invite him inside,” she squealed quite giddily, pawing at his leg like a cat. “I love both of those things. Oh please, oh please?”

“Why are you here,” Nico whispered harshly, sidestepping away from the hand trying to claw his pants potentially off. “Now she’ll never let you leave.”

Cocking his head to one side, Will grinned at him, blue eyes twinkling with mischief. “What, your sister said we should hang out the next time she’s over. I figured there’s nothing else I’m doing, might as well stop by and bring stuff.”

“That’s true, I did say that very thing,” she quipped, and he had to resist the urge to bury his face in a pillow and scream out every last one of his frustrations. Turning back to the slightly larger annoyance at his side, he narrowed his eyes at her vehemently, stopping her mid-shake of his pant leg. “What? Are we going to pretend like I didn’t? Too late to do much about it now. And he’s got the beer, I say let him in.”

“I hate you both,” he sighed loudly, swinging open the door and shuffling back over to the couch. Falling onto the cushions, his head kissed the wall behind him with an audible thunk. “If either one of you annoys me, I’m kicking both of you out and locking the door. You can spend the night together, for all I care. Just leave me out of it.”

“That means he likes us,” Hazel stage-whispered, cupping her mouth with her hand.

Will set the bag down on the coffee table and laughed heartily, pulling out the contents inside. “I’m beginning to learn all the little codes and special idioms,” he teased, locking gazes with him and offering up a wink. “It’s a challenge, but I’ve never been one to back down easily.”

Hazel elbowed him in the ribcage so hard he yelped. 

“What the serious fuck, sis,” he hissed with a glare, rubbing the spot angrily. “I don’t think you’ve managed to completely damage my organs. If you want, I can give you a shot at my kidneys next.”

“Don’t be so dramatic,” she said with a snort as she rolled her eyes, waving a hand in his general direction. “And scoot over, you’re taking up nearly half the couch by yourself. Let Will have the other arm, you sit bitch.”

“There’s still time to run far away,” Nico directed at the other with a strained tone, giving him a wry smile. “She doesn’t know which apartment you live in. I can hold her down while you make your getaway. It might be your only chance.”

“And miss the fun of sibling love,” Will asked, smiling sweeter than honey. “I’d never forgive myself.”

“Your funeral,” he muttered, sliding down the cushions and crossing his arms over his chest.

Will swooped up the movies and held them out like a fan, peering over the top with sparkling eyes. “Pick your poison. I have Tremors, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, The Man From Earth, and Rocky Horror. I personally recommend Killer Klowns, but not everyone is into that.”

“Oh! Rocky Horror,” Hazel shouted, raising her arm and waving it about like they were back in school and Will might be more inclined to choose her should she be the one with the most energy.

Nico scoffed outright, turning to her with an incredulous look. “You said you wanted horror, not crap.”

“I like that movie,” she protested, pouting out her lip childishly.

“I have to go with Hazel on this one,” Will chimed in. “It is a cult classic.”

Skipping his gaze over, he narrowed his eyes at the other man reproachfully. “Not helping,” he muttered, earning a dazzling smile in response. “And besides, just because a lot of people like something, doesn’t mean that it’s actually worthwhile. Sitting through that movie is like pulling teeth.”

“What’s your idea of a good B horror movie, then,” Will challenged, quirking a single brow while the hints of a smile still pulled his lips.

Nico blew out a long breath, scrunching his face in concentration. “Let’s see,” he hummed, eyes unfocused as he stared at a spot on the table. “I’m going to have to go with… May.”

“May,” they both asked at the same time, one a little more incredulous than the other. Hazel was well aware of his odd tastes at that point. He’d tricked her into watching so many arguably terrible films over the years that she was no doubt a little scarred by it. Will was still learning.

“That creepy wacko movie about the crazy chick with the lazy eye,” Hazel monotoned with a disgusted look on her face. When he nodded, she grimaced. “How in the world is that movie anything other than disturbing and wrong?”

Will’s eyebrows rose high in interest. “You had me at disturbing and wrong.”

“Psychological horror is some of the best stuff,” he defended, glancing sidelong at his sister with a victorious smirk. Turning his attention toward the other, his mouth split into a grin. “It’s about a lonely girl reaching out for human affection and when she keeps coming up short, she goes a little crazy.”

“Crazy,” Hazel snorted derisively, crossing her arms over her chest and giving the two of them her best motherly-disapproval-stare. “She goes psycho insane and, not going to spoil it for you since I’ve no doubt Nico will now force you into watching it at some point, things turn completely violent. All because she’s psychotic and deluded and doesn’t understand the most basic of human interaction.”

“It’s fantastic,” Nico chirped.

“It’s abhorrent,” she hissed, eyes narrowing at the lilt of mirth in his tone. “And I can’t believe you can like something like that but not Rocky Horror.”

A knock broke the silence and he jumped up, ruffling his sister’s hair affectionately. “A little food will do you some good, dear sister. You get a tiny bit dramatic when you’re hungry.”

“I’m going to smother you in your sleep,” she deadpanned, and he grinned outright at her withering look.

With food in hand, he shut the door with his shoulder, offering one of the bags to Hazel’s outstretched and flailing paws. “Okay, okay,” he laughed with warm affection, rolling his eyes at the girl good-naturedly. She’d wriggled her body into the crook of the couch in his absence, with Will having plopped onto the other side, leaving the middle area a tight squeeze, but doable. Sitting down gingerly, he undid the plastic knot in the bag. “I’m pretty sure I got your lo-mein in this one, though.”

Hazel was already spoon-deep in her wonton soup, turning to him with a slightly glassy and predatory gaze. “Soup first,” she mumbled, slurping it down nosily with a hum of contentment. A smile spread slowly across her mouth, eyes slipping shut peacefully. “Mm, that’s some good stuff. I’ve been craving it for a long time now.”

“Really,” he asked dryly whilst quirking a brow. “I didn’t notice.”

The girl kicked him gently with her bare foot. “Shut up, I’ve seen you go down on some tacos like the world is ending. You’re no better than I am.”

“That is very true. But as you would claim, you are a lady. I am not.”

“Har har,” she retorted, kicking him again for good measure. “Just eat your pork or whatever you got and pick a damn movie.”

Will, who had been silently observing the two of them with a grin, finally spoke up. “There _is_ a Lord of The Rings marathon on HBO. I’m pretty sure they’re airing the extended editions, too.”

“I’m down,” Nico said with a shrug, turning to his sister for her approval. She was already drinking the soup directly from the Styrofoam container, waving a hand at the two of them and the tv blindly. He smiled and tilted his head, regarding the display with amusement. “I’m pretty sure that means go for it,” he mused, turning to Will after she gave him a thumbs up. “You’re not hungry or anything, are you? I have enough sweet and sour pork and pork fried rice for a small army.”

“I’m good, thanks,” he hummed, giving Nico such a soft look in response that it cut through his heart like an arrow. Cupid be damned, the man sitting next to him didn’t need a bow to do irreversible damage.

Swallowing hard, he snatched up the remote and tried desperately to keep his face from turning fifty shades of pink.

* * *

Nico was sat on the couch some hours past, unable to do much more than frown. Warmth invaded his personal space on the whole of his left side, from the tip of his shoulder, all the way down to the end of his knee. To the right, strong legs held him firmly in place, toes digging into his thigh sharply anytime he so much as attempted to scoot away. This was his life.

To say he was miserable would be an understatement. Distracted would probably be a better word for it, though it was bordering on the kind of intensity that no doubt drove people to commit murders out of spite. And he was very well seconds away from locking himself in his room for the rest of the evening, refusing to come out until everyone was long gone. Possibly longer.

It was distracting as all hell to have Will’s heat sinking into his skin, especially when he could have sworn the pressure he felt pushing back against him was somewhat the other’s own conscious doing. Even as his eyes watched the television screen flicker and change, as his hand brought the now lukewarm bottle of liquid up to his lips, he could neither see nor taste much of anything.

It had been that way since the beginning, though it worsened steadily as the night wore on. To make matters worse, Hazel wouldn’t stop stealing glances over at him in a not so sly fashion, and he had to wonder briefly if there wasn’t some bad karma stacked against him that led to the unfortunate events of that night. If that were the case, he’d try harder in the future to do better.

“Do you want another drink,” Will asked, far too close to the shell of his ear to elicit anything other than a shiver so intense he felt it reach his toes.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” he announced loudly, leaping from the couch and nearly levitating his way out of the room.

In hindsight, there were far more graceful ways to leave the uncomfortable feeling in the dust; but his heart was hammering like a jackrabbit in his chest and he couldn’t even think straight, let alone say something intelligible when all of his thoughts were tinged the color of a rainbow and so, so very gay.

Flicking on the light and slamming the bathroom door shut, he leaned up against it with closed eyes, willing his pulse to slow and the heat to dissipate from his cheeks. 

There was no reason to freak out, not after he’d come so far after so long. Will was just a flirt, shameless and unabashed and _so god damned sexy_ , but a flirt nonetheless. Everything was going to be okay. He’d go back out, sit down on that couch, and take things as they came. And if that didn’t work, there was always feigning a sudden bout of food poisoning and locking himself in his bedroom for the remainder of the evening, if only to avoid further embarrassment.

Opening his eyes, he gazed at his reflection in the mirror; from his shaggy dark hair to his flushed olive complexion, the sharp cut of his nose to the curve of his pursed lips. Giving the man who gazed back at him an unamused look, he shook his head disapprovingly. “You’ve got this,” he told himself, throwing open the door and marching his way back down the hall.

Only he most assuredly did not have it, not after he made it to the couch and realized the tiny space he’d occupied before was now curbed by half. The only place left to go was on the floor or in Will’s lap, and as he shot his sister a death glare and she brushed it off with an innocent batting of her lashes, he could guess at where she’d hoped he’d sit.

Will glanced over at him as he stood there hesitating, brow furrowed and head tilted to the side. The look on his face must have spoken volumes about his discomfort because after glancing over at the available space and finding it lacking, he grinned widely and patted the place between his legs.

For some reason, that was all he needed to snap to his senses and push the two idiots back to their ends of the couch. The heat resumed encroaching far too close to him on one side, the feet digging into the meat of his leg on the other, but it wasn’t as distracting as before. He sipped his beer and quietly enjoyed the movie, the hints of an amused smile tugging the ends of his lips.

* * *

Warm sunlight spilled into the room, stretching long fingers out that danced across his closed eyelids. There was a stiffness in his neck, a heavy weight on his chest, and as he opened his eyes and saw a large foot directly in front of his nose, he was beginning to understand why. They’d all fallen asleep. On the couch. Together.

Hazel was stretched out like a cat on her stomach, a small pillow beneath her head while the rest of her body was half on half off the cushions. One leg curled up his chest, pressing him down into his seat and back into a warm mass. It didn’t take much to guess where Will was, especially when he noticed the tan-skinned arm wrapped around his right shoulder. Glancing to his left, he caught a peek of gently parted lips and a sweep of eyelashes dusting over cheekbones.

It wasn’t until the foot kicked him in the jaw that he figured out exactly what to do about the situation. Slapping it away with an angry growl, he scrambled out from the crook of Will’s arm, turning back toward the two half-asleep people on the couch with a deep frown and a faint blush spreading uninvited across his face.

Will’s blue eyes fluttered open, the hints of a smile present on his lips. “Good morning,” he murmured in a voice still thick and warm with sleep. 

It did little for the mess of thoughts already crashing through his brain, but he filed it away someplace for a later date. It was not the time to think about sleepy soft Will snuggling him half the night. Who knows when a good time would be.

Hazel cracked open an eye and groaned, burrowing her face into the pillow. “Five more minutes.”

“Nope, it’s now officially morning, and I am unfortunately wide awake because someone can’t keep their feet out of people’s faces. If I have to be inconvenienced, you do, too.”

“You’re mean,” came the muffled reply before her limbs curled in on themselves and she wriggled into a tiny ball of cinnamon and mocha.

Will sat up and stretched his arms high above his head, the creases in one side of his black shirt all the evidence needed to reconfirm their night-long positioning. “I’m feeling like pancakes,” he declared seconds before a yawn split his face, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. “Possibly a truckload of coffee to wash it down, too.”

“Coffee,” Hazel grunted and waved an arm at him. “Bacon, too.”

Nico rolled his eyes, crossing arms over his chest. “I’m not getting anybody anything,” he replied in a gruff tone, watching as the girl peeked at him from behind the curtain of her hair. She appeared to be pouting, but he ignored it and pressed on. “If you want something, we can all go together and get it. Or I can go and fend for myself, the choice is yours.”

“Can we take the car,” she asked hopefully.

Will rubbed a hand on the back of his neck, looking somewhat hesitant. “I’d prefer a place within walking distance? I didn’t go on my nightly or morning run, and doubt I’ll be in the mood to do one tonight.” Biting his lip, he dropped his gaze in embarrassment. “I don’t want to slack too much if I can help it.”

“Ugh,” Hazel said as she pushed herself up onto her knees. Turning to Will, she glowered fiercely. “You are so lucky you’re adorable and nice or I would throw you in the car myself and tell you to suck it up.” Swinging back over to Nico, she heaved a sigh. “Fine. But it better be quick, close, and have decent coffee. If you bring me to one of those places that leave the pot on until it burns I will cut you under the table and leave you there to bleed out.”

“Your sister is frightening in the morning,” Will informed him with a wry smile.

Nico chuckled, relaxing his posture a bit as he nodded in agreeance. “Yeah, we’re a family of night owls who hate being woken up. Pretty much at any time of day, really, though the earlier it is the more sass you’re likely to receive.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he hummed softly before rising to his feet. He stretched out his back with a low pop and then grinned at the two of them. “Well, if no one minds waiting like ten minutes, I’d really like to head home and change before we go. Nothing like fresh clothes to make a late night seem a little easier and help wake you up.”

“Take your time,” Hazel replied, waving a dismissive hand and yawning quietly. The look on her face was vacant and glassy-eyed, so he figured the girl was probably still in the process of waking up herself. “I should probably go wash my face before I break out and my boyfriend leaves me for being gross.” Lifting an arm, she sniffed her shirt. “Yeah, and possibly a shower and change and, fuck it, I’ll just hop into a vat of acid while I’m at it and we can go from there.”

Ushering Will over to the door, Nico muttered to him as they went. “Just hurry and go while you still have some sanity left.” Opening it up, Will stepped out and turned to him with a smile. Leaning against the jamb, he quirked his own mouth shyly. “Text me when you’re ready. I’ll take care of grumpy over here and make sure she’s pleasant by the time we head out.”

“Alright,” Will murmured, tilting his head to the side and swiping a hand through his mussed hair. His skin glowed vibrantly like polished bronze in the early morning sunlight, his head a mess of golden curls. If he looked any more like a statue of some Greek hunk standing on a pillar in the Louvre, time would no doubt collapse in the face of such a paradoxical conundrum. “See you soon, then. And good luck.”

“Thanks,” Nico replied with a dreamy smile, watching the slow swish of hips as the other man sauntered down the stairs and out of sight. When he finally closed the door and spun around, he nearly jumped backward surprise.

Golden eyes stared up at him sharply from far too close, a wicked smirk curving the ends of her lips. “So. Will is nice.”

“Jesus, Hazel,” he wheezed out, clutching at his chest for dramatic effect. “We’re going to have to put a bell on you if you don’t stop appearing next to people and giving them panic attacks. Seriously, announce your presence a little more.”

“Don’t try to change the subject,” she scolded with an unamused click of the tongue. “You like him.”

“I don’t see how that is relevant information at the moment.”

Rolling her eyes, she took a step away from his personal bubble. “My gods, Nico, you are literally impossible to deal with.” Crossing arms over her chest, she glowered up at him, which shouldn’t have been so intimidating from their height difference of nearly half a foot. “I thought you promised me to be open to the possibility of this.”

“I am,” he replied incredulously, quirking a brow. “And if things go that way at some point, I will continue to be. Right now, we’re just friends. And that’s okay, Hazel. I’m fine with how things are.”

“If you ask me, that boy is so in love with you that it’s actually surprising you have yet to acknowledge it,” she muttered darkly, turning on her heel and making it three steps toward the bathroom before she turned back and scowled harder. “And, despite the fact you fail to respond to all of his advances, he still keeps coming around. Screw dating the guy, you should swoop in and marry him.”

“Done yet?”

“Almost,” she sniffed, lifting her chin defiantly. “Also, he’s cute and I approve and so will Frank. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go wash myself thoroughly and then we can go.” This time, she made it all the way down the hall, the bathroom door shutting behind her with a soft click.

As he began picking up the empty bottles littering the coffee table, Nico’s phone vibrated in his pocket.

(9:43 AM) Your window is open, and I can hear the sounds of sisterly disapproval from here.

Before he had the chance to throw himself off the balcony in utter embarrassment, another one followed.

(9:44 AM) I don’t know what she said, but now it’s eerily silent. She isn’t hiding the body or anything, right?

(9:44 AM) I’ll send a search party if you don’t respond soon.

Chuckling to himself softly, he shuffled into his room, opening the curtain up and nearly dropping his phone in surprise. “Holy shit,” he commented, realizing a second too late that he’d said the words aloud.

Standing there, beads of water trickling down his ridiculously chiseled torso, leaning against the window jamb with his phone still in hand, was Will. He glanced over and smiled brightly. “Well, I suppose that’s a no to the body thing. Glad to see you’re still among the living.”

“I’m beginning to think you enjoy prancing around shirtless,” Nico mumbled, face already painted a furious red.

Will laughed loudly, running a hand through his tousled wet hair. “It isn’t the worst thing. I’m by no means shy, either. But no. Not particularly. You just catch me at all the best times.”

_You have no idea…_

“You’re not some secret nudist, are you,” he half-joked, remembering all the conversations he’d had with Piper weeks prior. He’d yet to catch Will less than half-dressed in weeks, but it wasn’t as if he was exactly checking, either.

“And what if I were,” Will asked in a low purr, smiling his stupid sexy grin. Tilting his head to the side, he cocked a brow. “Would that be an issue?”

“What? Hm? Oh, gotta go,” Nico babbled, closing the curtain to the melody of the other’s bubbling laugh. After a beat, he opened it back up and scowled. “And get dressed already, someone might see you and exploit your body. People are sick. Also, I need coffee, so get a move on it.” Turning on his heel, he marched out of the room, skin still the color of a tomato.

“See you in a bit, then,” the other called back, and Nico was loath to admit that it caused a stupid happy grin to split his face in response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was it necessary? No.  
> Was it a joy to write and tease further? You bet your ass.  
> Two? more chapters, people. Two. I will probably post them at their preplanned stopping points regardless of length, so expect... absolutely nothing, why would you ever expect something from me? Let's be honest here, I am super fickle and unreliable and horrible and terrible and a little bit evil, too.  
> Don't let that stop you! Comment, harass, pester, bother, poke, prod, bug, anything else you'd like to synonymously do to get me to finish if I begin slacking at the finish line. I won't hold it against anyone, and actually, do appreciate the inquiries and not-so-subtle shaming I receive to whip my ass into shape and whatnot.  
> I am a writer, and we are (or just I am) very much content just thinking about doing the thing, instead of actually doing it. It's unfortunate. 
> 
> I work for comments and love. Never forget that!
> 
> Also, you welcome for all of this buuuuurn. ;) <3
> 
> Hit me up on Tumblr, because I like to talk and post shit and wish I could do it better than I tend to; but still, talk to me - Cherrypie62666
> 
> Hit me up on my writer Tumblr and be amazed by my ability to post short drables over working on new updates - cherrywrites626


	12. Why does this have to be the end?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did it! I posted!

The interior of the bedroom was dark as Nico shuffled his way around the piles of discarded clothing laying haphazardly on the carpet, toward the full-length mirror in the corner of the bedroom.  If he had to guess, more than half his closet’s worth of outfits had been tried on, changed, dismissed, and quite possibly tried a second time, just to be safe.  The entire place looked like a bomb had gone off, though that was a different issue for a later time.  As it stood, he’d been at it for over an hour with nothing to show for it.  Any longer and he’d be late.

Heaving a sigh, his eyes slipped down the length of his lithe form.  Orange sunlight poked through the cracks in the heavy curtains, long shafts painting the wall just above his head.  The person staring back at him through the reflective glass grimaced as his shoulders finally slumped in defeat.  Another failure.  Not as terrible as the other thirty some attempts, but still not quite _good enough_.

Trudging over to his mattress, he threw himself face first into the cool satin sheets.  Perhaps no one would notice his absence should he remain burrowed down in darkness for the entire evening.  It wasn’t as if he had much of a presence, to begin with, and Piper and Rachel were perfectly capable of running the gallery without him there.  They’d done it countless times before.  That night would be no different.

The sound of his phone buzzing had him up on all fours in an instant, scrambling up to the night table where the device was still tethered to the charger.  What little excitement he’d felt at the prospect of Will’s flirtatious banter died the second he saw the repetitive flash of Hazel’s name on the screen.  With a grumble, he reluctantly opened the text.

(4:37 PM) I swear if I get there and find you cocooned in the blankets in your underwear, I’m going to throw you off the balcony.

It was uncanny how well the girl knew his thoughts, even when he’d only barely had a chance to think them.  Years of dealing with his odd quirks no doubt prepared her for the worst case scenario, which was usually the correct assumption to make.  Still, a swell of smug satisfaction found its way out of him in the form of a snort.  She wasn’t _completely_ correct.

_(4:38 PM) Jokes on you, I’m fully clothed and on top of the sheets._

The silence stretched on so long he wasn’t sure it was ever going to be filled, gazing up at the popcorn ceiling with vacant, glassy eyes.  A slight tug of want pulled at his chest, but he ignored the urge to obsessively check his other messages, reminding himself once more of the two or so hours of unresponsiveness to his latest reply.  And the entire week of dwindling conversation.  He’d see Will later that evening, anyway. 

Before he had the chance to reluctantly place the thing back on the night table, deciding it was her way of disregarding his subtle jab for the petulance it was, the phone vibrated in his painfully clenched fist.

(4:43 PM) ETA ten minutes.  If you aren’t out of bed by the time I get inside, I’m going to do unspeakable things to your appearance out of spite.

A smile curled his lips, sitting upright with a quiet snicker.

_(4:43 PM) Duly noted.  See you soon._

Rising to his feet, his eyes flicked over to the heavy crimson curtains blocking out the sun’s gentle rays.

In the beginning, he’d told himself the slight changes were nothing to worry about.  Preparations and deadlines had found both of them woefully without a second to catch their breath.  It was only natural that the late-night window chats and the little texts throughout the week would diminish the closer it got to the night of the Gala.  There wasn’t time to worry about the obvious lull when the two still spoke every single day.  There were more important thoughts to dwell on…

Except it did worry him, and it wasn’t something he was able to ignore indefinitely. 

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he couldn’t help but think that everything was coming to a heartbreaking finale.  After the obligatory communications weren’t a part of the equation, Nico was hard pressed to find a good reason for Will to keep up the friendly back and forth he’d come to cherish.  Sure, they’d broken through the awkward stages from simple business associates into something deeper, but that wasn’t a guarantee for things to remain permanently at a standstill.  It was really no guarantee for anything at all.

Socked feet padded over to the window, arms moving mechanically and without consent from his anxious mind.  If things were bound to change anyway, if there was no way to stop it from happening, then he might as well enjoy what little time he had left to the fullest.  Bask in the sensation of complacency before it left him feeling entirely empty inside.

Only he didn’t expect the view his eyes landed upon, and he certainly didn’t intend to gape at the familiar sight with slack-jawed awe.  It wasn’t as if anything had changed from that night all those long weeks past, the golden sheen of skin and curve of muscle was still just as breathtaking and utterly embarrassing to behold. 

Arms still rubbed the pale blue towel on that tousled wet hair he now knew to be the color of sun-kissed straw, drying it gently while drops of water dripped from his back down to the floor.  And that perfect ass; was it even legal to have such a great ass while also being a gorgeous, intellectual, witty, kind, and all around simply remarkable, albeit obnoxiously infuriating, individual?  It was still pivoted just so to invite to it a wandering gaze.

And yet, it flared something different inside of his chest this time around.  Something both too warm and too cold and too painful to handle.  It didn’t leave him wishing he could tear his eyes away, unable to do so while his feet put down roots in the carpet.  He was perfectly able to leave.  Perfectly able to turn around and walk away.  To ignore it.  To stop.  Leave.  Now.

He didn’t.

Part of him wished he could just call out, announce his presence and get the whole awkward conversation done with.  Already it felt like too much time had passed since the first encounter, that there would never be a better situation to admit his wrongdoings in the future without severely damaging their relationship in the process.  It was perhaps his one chance, the very best opportunity he’d ever have.  He should take it.

It was his luck, or perhaps misfortune, that the other never so much as glanced in his direction.  Will left the room shortly thereafter, grabbing a pile of clothes off the bed and disappearing from sight.  Seconds ticked away into minutes, but he never returned.

Nico remained where he was with a heavy heart, drowning in his self-depreciative thoughts.  The front door opened sometime later, the sound of hurried footfalls scuffing through the carpet toward his room.  His eyes were still glued to the piece of glass in the distance, hoping beyond hope for something more.  Something else.

“You’ve been warned, dearest brother.  The time is officially… oh.”  Glancing over his shoulder, he watched as an embarrassed flush painted his sister’s cheeks.  Her hand still resting gently on the doorknob, she gripped it harder and hurriedly made to leave.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.  I’ll just-“

“That’s all right,” he mumbled, offering up a tight smile and stepping away from the window.  The curtain closed itself behind him, blocking out the last of the sun’s warm rays of light.  “I’m finished, anyhow.”

* * *

 

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Nico hissed, attempting and failing to hide himself behind one of the larger sculptures that had been moved out into the gallery’s otherwise empty lobby. 

The entire place had been completely revamped for the evening, not that he had intended it that way from the start.  Piper and Rachel had insisted on him staying away while they applied their ‘finishing touches’, which was actually code for ‘we want to move things around in your absence and give you a heart attack when you finally arrive and find your precious gallery utterly destroyed.’  A fact that still bothered him greatly, despite his worker’s promises to have everything put back where it belonged before they opened again the following morning.

People mingled with one another in a loud cacophony of sounds, bodies pressing close on every side.  The crowd was far larger than he’d anticipated, and not a single one of them looked half as stupid as he knew he did right then.  Jeans were the norm, a handful of girls in their late teens sporting too short dresses and strappy heels in vain attempts to appear old enough to drink.  A few thirty-somethings wore business casual attire, probably forgoing changing prior to heading out right after work. 

And there he was, practically dressed to the nines in a full suit.

Hazel rolled her eyes in response, grabbing onto his bicep and pulling him over to her with surprising strength.  “Oh, stop being such a baby.  You promised to trust me on this one.  You look great.”

“Remind me never to trust you again,” he deadpanned, removing his arm from her vicelike grip and taking a sizeable step back.  Personal space was a word the girl was none too familiar with, not that he minded as much as he let on.

She smiled at him sweetly, offering up a miniature pie looking object for him to try.  “Quiche?  They’re fantastic.”

Nico’s stomach did a flip at the thought, though it was probably more from the nerves than anything.  “No thanks.”

With a shrug, she popped the entire thing into her mouth, chewing happily as her golden eyes scanned the small room.  His own darker ones followed suit, taking in the ambiance with a grimace. 

Everywhere he looked was utter discord.  Nothing was how he’d pictured it, which only seemed to exacerbate his uncontrollable anxiousness further.  It was stifling and loud, cramped and awkward.  Beads of sweat trickled down the back of his neck thanks to the charcoal tie knotted tightly at his throat, choking him with each bobbing swallow.  Anytime a loud peel of laughter rang out somewhere nearby, his head ached in tandem.

A group of drunk hipsters nearly spilled their red wine on one of his favorite sculptures and he had to clench his jaw tight to keep from marching over and shouting in their faces.  

The only thing that kept him rooted to the spot was the thought that he was probably just overreacting due to an abundance of stress.  It wasn’t actually the people in the immediate vicinity that made him feel like he wanted to bash his face into a wall.  His emotions were just running high and he needed his own good, strong drink to curb some of the worst of it.

“So, have you spoken with Will yet?  Or are you going to hide in the lobby all night and pretend you don’t know anyone?”  Hazel glanced up at him expectantly, unable to hide the traces of concern from her expression.

“I’m not hiding.  You know I’m supposed to stay right here until everyone is inside or we reach capacity.  It’s not even twenty minutes into the night.”

“You know exactly what I meant, Nico.”

A beat of silence passed in which he fully contemplated doing just that before a sigh escaped his lips, wishing it was an accomplishable feat to aim for.  She shot him an annoyed look and he begrudgingly responded.

“I’m sure it’ll be inevitable at some point,” he mumbled, trying his best to evade further questioning.

It clearly didn’t work, as she furrowed her brow and pressed on.  “Are you okay,” she asked in a gentle tone, pressing a comforting touch to his forearm.  The look in her eyes said she guessed at some of what was happening, not that that would keep her from sussing out the entire story and then some.  “Nothing strange has happened between the two of you, right?  Last I saw you were getting along famously.  I could hear the wedding bells chiming in the distant future.”

“Actually, no,” he replied with another tight-lipped smile. "Nothing at all."

A waiter with a familiar face passed close by carrying a tray of h’orderves, and Nico flagged her down with exaggerated hand movements, thankful for any kind of distraction from the painful interrogation.  It wouldn’t do to dwell on matters that remained ever cumbersome in the back of his mind.

Annabeth smiled thinly as she shambled over, careful to avoid knocking into other people in the process.  Placing the heavy tray onto the pedestal housing one of the artworks, she sidled up next to him and heaved a tired sigh.  “Oh, that’s better.”

Hazel gave the older girl a sympathetic nod.  “I’ve seen you make rounds three or four times, already.  Is it that swamped?”

“You don’t know the half of it,” she replied gravely.  “I can’t believe this turn out.  When you asked for my help, I was imagining a little less…”

“Noise,” Nico supplied helpfully.

“Chaos,” Hazel echoed his sentiment.

Annabeth snorted.  “Something like that,” she agreed, swiping a hand through her pale golden hair and smoothing the frizzy pieces that had escaped her bun away from her forehead.  “Not that I’m not still happy to be of assistance, I just wish I was able to catch my breath a little.”

“I thought you were supposed to be the person directing the underlings,” Nico asked with a note of curiosity, eyes scanning the room for the other faces he knew too well.  Percy and Jason were in the middle of an impromptu baguette sword fight in the far corner, and he instantly regretted mentioning the subject.

Annabeth clicked her tongue in annoyance, having no doubt also noticed the very same battle commencing feet away.  “I was.  It was easier just to do it, myself.”

“I see,” the other two chorused, offering up their silent condolences with pitying expressions.

“I don’t really expect much, to begin with,” she replied with a nod.  One side of her mouth curled itself into a smirk then, grey eyes sliding to his face with a calculating intensity.  “So, anyway, Nico.  Tell me about this Will character I’ve heard so much about already.”

Nico groaned loudly in response, shooting his sister a withering glare.  “He’s just a client and neighbor,” he insisted, hopefully for the last time in his life. 

Not that he even expected them to be that for much longer, with the way things had been progressing that week.  The last time he’d checked, there were no new messages on his phone since he and Hazel showed up.  It was more than a little depressing to think that their only reasons for talking regularly were soon to come to a screeching halt.  Then they’d just be awkward acquaintances, if that.

Annabeth hummed like she didn’t quite believe his sincerity, glancing over to Hazel for confirmation of her suspicions.  The traitor only rolled her eyes exaggeratedly slow, which was far less than he’d expected from her, at any rate. 

“Point him out for me,” she asked sweetly, tilting her head to the side.

“Why?”

Her grey eyes opened wide with innocence.  “Just curious, is all.  You did throw this big huge gala just for him.”

Nico frowned, unsure whether or not it was some sort of trap.  Annabeth only managed to widen her eyes further, so he gave up before she hurt herself.  Or him.  Possibly both.

“He’s not here,” he said slowly, flicking his gaze to his sister’s grinning face, and then back again.  “I assume he’s probably in the viewing room talking about his artwork with potential buyers and admirers.”

“Assume,” she parroted, quirking a single brow.  The sudden spike of ice in her tone made him wince like a child being reprimanded.  “You mean to tell me you haven’t even said hello yet?”

Hazel snickered quietly, mouthing a silent ‘sorry, bother’ before turning her attention to her nails like they were the most fascinating thing on the planet.  A total brushoff.

 _Et tu, sister,_ he thought sourly, flicking his eyes around for another means of escape.  There wasn’t anything else to distract them with.  A slight grimace turned his lips down at the corners, resolving himself at once to his impending fate. 

“I mean… no?  Not… not yet.  I… will?”

Annabeth crossed her arms over her chest, cocking her hip sassily.  Percy was clearly rubbing off on her, and not in a good way.  “All right,” she said monotonously.  “Let’s go now, then.  I deserve a quick break.”

“But I have to-“

“Oh, I can stay here in your place,” Hazel chimed in like the unhelpful demon she was, giving his arm a consoling pat.  She didn’t even bat an eye when he glared at her so hard the edges of his vision tinged black.  “Don’t you worry about a single thing.  I’ll make sure no one messes up your precious art.”

“That’s not even-“

“Thank you, Hazel,” Annabeth said, hooking her arm around his and steering him toward the back of the building.  “We won’t be long.”

“Take your time,” she singsonged, wiggling her fingers at them in a cavalier wave.

Grumbling quietly to himself, he followed along without further protest.

It wasn’t that he didn’t care to see Will.  He did, very much so.  It was simply that putting yourself out there with the understanding that it might not amount to anything good was perhaps the single most frightening thing he could think of.  Avoidance was his strong suit.  Confrontation certainly was not.

Annabeth zigzagged her way between larger groups of guests discussing art in the showroom with stunning efficiency, careful not to smack him into people in the process.  Excited murmurs trickled into his ears as they went, a sea of voices with overwhelming tenacity berating the weak hollows of his mind.  Will’s name was the one on the tip of their tongues, dissecting each brushstroke like they held the answers to the world’s deepest mysteries.

The two stopped short only a stone’s throw away from the man himself, and it was all he could do not to turn around and bolt from the room.  As it stood, his stomach was somersaulting with anxious energy, his mouth so dry it was unlikely to work.

Will was chatting animatedly with a man about one of his pieces, back turned toward them, the wash of yellow-hued light splaying over his golden hair like a beam of sunshine.  The soft periwinkle of his button up contrasted nicely with his grey slacks, held firm to his waist by a black leather belt.  Even while wearing clothes nicer than half the occupants in the room, he still looked unbelievably laid back, the long sleeves of his shirt rolled up to the elbows in a causal manner.

Annabeth turned to him then, blinking large doe eyes and tilting her head inquisitively.  “So, which one is he,” she asked with an air of nonchalance, taking special care to pass her gaze over Will like he was nothing more than empty space.

Nico heaved a sigh in response, tired of the charade.  “You don’t have to pretend like you don’t already know, Annabeth.  You could just ask me to introduce you, regardless.  I’d be happy to.”

A beat of silence passed before her lips quirked at the corners in wry amusement.  “Am I that terrible of an actor?”

“No,” he admitted truthfully, shaking his head for emphasis.  “I just know you far too well.”

She laughed at that, nudging him playfully with her elbow.  “All right, then, Mr. unfoolable.  Introduce us, already.”

Nico opened his mouth to respond when a flash of tanned skin caught his attention, drawing his gaze back to the two men standing in the corner of the room. 

A beautiful woman with chin length golden blonde hair joined herself into the private conversation, wrapping a slender arm around Will’s waist and pressing closely against his side.  He jerked and glanced down at her with momentary surprise before a fond look overtook his expression.  Returning the gesture with ease, Will dipped down to plant a featherlight kiss on her forehead.  When he finally pulled back, the two gazed into each other's eyes with equally soft smiles pulling at their lips.

Taking an abrupt step backward, Nico swallowed around the lump suddenly clogging up his throat.  “I uh,” he started and then stopped, shaking the chaos from his head and blinking his eyes rapidly.

Annabeth shot him a concerned look, following his retreat with her own cautious steps.  “Are you all right,” she asked lightly, reaching out to grab hold of his arm.

He shied away from her touch like it might burn his flesh, shaking his head once more with renewed vigor.  “I-I have to go.”

Turning abruptly on his heel, Nico ran from that place like he couldn’t get away fast enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So concludes this half of the long awaited gala!  
> I am so sorry for the lengthy wait, so to make it up to everyone, I finished the whole fic.  
> Yes, it is officially in a word document, waiting to be posted at a later time.  
> Why did I end this chapter here instead of just lumping all 11k together and being done with it?  
> Because, I am a horrible person and I want everyone to sufferrrrrrr.  
> Half true, I mostly just planned it that way from the start and never expected to type the whole thing like a crazy on a whim, so I'm sticking to the plan and will post the rest... when I feel like it. :)  
> Thanks SO MUCH for the patience! I don't even give a crap if this isn't anything close to what anyone was expecting from this thing, because it's here, it's finished, and that in and of itself is a huge ass feat for me! All the little changes I've made aside, this end is the one I had in mind from the very start, though it didn't quite play out like I imagined. I mean, I did all that stuff dragging them together only to turn around and throw up one final wall. Doesn't make sense. Oh well. 
> 
> Hit me up on Tumblr and yell at me for being a terrible person - Cherrywrites626


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